Blessings in Disguise
by chenzel-is-life
Summary: Emily Prentiss feels humiliated after an accidental one-night-stand with her coworker, Spencer Reid. Little do they know, that this is the least of their problems. They soon find out how easily one small mistake can turn their lives upside down. Will things work out for the best? Reid/Prentiss. Takes place after 'Memoriam'.
1. The Morning After

_**A/N: **__Hi everyone! :) So this is the first chapter of a series I was thinking of writing. I'm posting the first chapter now to see if you guys like the idea or not. If you want me to continue it, I definitely will. This story takes place after the events of "The Instincts" and "Memoriam", but for convenience purposes regarding the plot, the date is sometime in August 2008; different from when the episode actually aired. But anyway, if you guys like this one I'll continue it. Thanks so much to everybody for reading and reviewing. Enjoy!_

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><p><strong>September 2008<strong>

A mix of emotions rushed through Emily Prentiss' head as she walked reluctantly to the office of her superior, Aaron Hotchner. Clearly, he wasn't an idiot. She knew that he would notice the changes in their behavior eventually; especially in her case. There was no way that the team could do their best job possible when two of the members could barely speak to each other. Hotch wanted answers – and that was what he was going to get. She had no other options. She had to tell him everything that had happened, no matter how embarrassed or how ashamed she felt about it. And if she didn't, it could cost her her job. That couldn't happen, because now she would need it more than ever.

_Four weeks earlier... August 2008_

Emily awoke with a groan, trying to escape the rays of sunlight pouring through the windows by burying her face deeper into her pillow. It wasn't working. Unwillingly, she rolled over onto her back, just noticing that she had a splitting headache. She sat up and looked around the room hazily, realizing that this wasn't her bedroom. None of this was familiar to her. At all.

_Where am I...?_

It was then, that she noticed the figure lying down next to her, sleeping soundly. Confused, she then realized that she wasn't wearing any clothing. Not a stitch of it.

_Oh no. _

_No, no, no._

She sunk back into the bed, feeling humiliated. She remembered it all now.

Just a few days earlier, Emily had noticed that Reid had looked really stressed out during the case they had just finished. She knew that it had been really hard on him... so she had decided to invite him out for drinks – as friends, of course – to try to help him get his mind off of work for a little bit.

Little had she known, that things would not go quite as she expected.

Who knows how many drinks later, all she could remember was that she had called a cab for both of them to go back to Reid's place... and now there she was – lying in his bed, naked and hung-over as all hell.

_How could I have been so fucking irresponsible?_

Being extra careful not to wake him up, she crawled out of his bed silently. She found her clothes on the floor, put them on, and slipped out of the apartment making as little noise as possible. She called a cab to take her home while she waited outside of the building, hoping that by the time he woke up, she would be long gone.

About an hour or so later, Reid awoke feeling the same way that Emily had – tired, drowsy, splitting headache – except that he immediately remembered everything. Every last detail.

Before even trying to make sense of what had happened, he got out of bed and went straight into the shower. Of course, she had left already. Reid couldn't help but think that he had completely screwed things up between them; possibly for good. After all, coming back to his place had been his idea.

Emily had invited him out for drinks because she thought that he was too stressed out – which he had been. But there was another reason why he had accepted her invitation.

Ever since they had gone undercover together in Colorado, Reid had started to feel a little bit more than friendship towards her. There were a lot of things that he liked about Emily – her intelligence, her sense of humor, her smile... but there was just something about her that made her different. Perhaps it was the fact that she could read his feelings just as well as he could read other people's. Or maybe because she was one of the few people in his life that didn't make him feel like a little kid. He could tell her anything, and he took comfort in that fact.

But, pushing all feelings aside, this was not something that Reid would have agreed to while he was sober. Although he did have a slight crush on Emily, he knew the effects of too much alcohol at one time – that included a shortened attention span and impaired judgement. Even if he _may _have wanted to sleep with her at the back of his mind, he knew that alcohol often takes away one's ability to think and judge decisions properly, therefore, not being able to fully comprehend the consequences of certain situations. He knew that alcohol had the capability to create uncomfortable circumstances, such as his current one.

_So much for trying to stop stressing out..._


	2. A Surprising Revelation

_**A/N: **__Hello everyone! Thank you all for your reviews; I'm glad you guys liked the idea. Here is the second chapter. I'm really enjoying writing this series so far; I'm already about half-done writing chapter three. I think this one will turn out fairly well. I know it's pretty short, but the next one will be WAY longer. Believe me. Thank you so much for reading/reviewing! Enjoy :)_

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><p><em>Later on that week...<em>

Emily splashed cold water on her face shakily, wondering what was wrong with her. She had been enjoying a good night's sleep, when she was awakened by a sudden wave of nausea. Normally, she had a pretty strong stomach – but lately, she had been feeling over-exhausted and sick to her stomach. After a day at work, she would come home and nap for hours.

But she didn't think much of it. She had probably just caught a bug that was going around. Feeling exhausted again, she trudged back into her bedroom, catching a glimpse of the clock on her bedside table. It was just past four in the morning. She groaned inwardly and sank back into her bed, falling back into unconsciousness almost immediately.

For the next two weeks, things were awkward between Reid and Prentiss. They never talked, unless it was case-related. Reid felt ashamed that he had slept with a co-worker, especially Emily, because they had previously been good friends. He wasn't known as one to break rules often, if ever. _This is the reason why frat rules exist_, he thought. He already had more than enough to focus on – he couldn't afford to be dwelling on messy personal issues when he was supposed to be concentrating on work. Before, he had thought that he didn't regret sleeping with Emily... but he was beginning to think otherwise. He didn't want one foolish mistake to cost him his entire job.

Meanwhile, Emily also felt guilty. She felt like she had taken advantage of him, when that wasn't the case. She had tried to reach out to him, trying to be a good friend, and instead, she had acted irresponsibly. And she knew, very well, that irresponsible actions alwayscame with tough consequences. This was one consequence that she had to face, whether she liked it or not.

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><p><em>Two weeks later... September 2008<em>

The team had all gathered at the BAU for the briefing of a serial murder case in Oregon.

"Alright. Wheels up in two hours. Reid and Prentiss, see me in my office please," Hotch said before walking out. The room fell silent as the team exchanged surprised looks with each other. Reid shot Emily a backwards glance, but she took care not to make any eye contact with him before heading out of the briefing room and into the direction of Hotch's office. Reid followed suit.

"What was that all about?" Garcia asked to no one in particular.

Morgan shrugged. "I have no idea."

"These days, something just doesn't seem right with those two..." Rossi added. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

Feeling slightly humiliated and sick to her stomach for what she was about to do, Emily knocked quietly on the open door of Hotch's office. Reid poked his head in behind her. Hotch glanced up from his work.

"Come in, and shut the door please."

Reid walked in and she shut the door behind him. Hotch gestured to the two chairs he had put in front of his desk.

"Sit down." They sat. Hotch finished writing something and put down his pen. He looked up at them pointedly.

"I think you two have some explaining to do."

Both of them said nothing. His eyes focused on Emily, then Reid, then back to Emily. Both of them were shifty-eyed, fidgeting, and looking down at their laps guiltily.

"I know that there is something going on between you. I don't know what it is, but as the leader of this team, it's my business to find out. The team cannot function with the way you two are behaving around each other. I know you both know that. So, either you tell me what's happening or you two will have to figure out how to solve this on your own. We've got an important case ahead of us, and I need for everyone to be one-hundred-and-ten-percent focused. So what will it be?"

Emily glanced at Reid out of the corner of her eye. He was picking at his fingernails nervously. Clearly, she would have to do all of the talking. She knew this was going to be humiliating. The worst case scenario would be that she would get fired or transferred. But they would all find out eventually, so, what was the point in keeping it a secret, anyway? She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.

_Here goes nothing..._

"I'm pregnant."


	3. Consequences

_**A/N: **__Hello everyone! I've been meaning to type this up for weeks! I haven't gotten a chance to get online until now. So, anyway, here is the third chapter – I hope you guys like this series as much as I do! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. Enjoy!_

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><p><em>Flashback to a few weeks earlier...<em>

Feeling extremely uneasy, Emily held the pregnancy test in her hand shakily, silently waiting for answers. She had now missed her period. She had not wanted to think about it, but now, she had no choice. As much as she disliked the idea and as much as she wished it couldn't happen, it was the most logical explanation for everything.

After five long, tense minutes, her result finally popped up: a little red plus sign.

_This can't be happening, _she thought.

_I must be having a nightmare!_

She tossed the stick into her garbage can and slumped against the bathroom wall where she was sitting, putting her face in her hands. This was all happening far too quickly. Of course, both of them had been too drunk to even think about using some kind of protection. She had forgotten about birth control long ago, having given up on trying to establish any means of a relationship. She supposed that it was logical that she was pregnant, but, it was only one night...

_It only takes one time, _countered another voice in her head.

Feeling a whirlpool of mixed emotions overwhelm her, she started to cry. This was reminding her way too much of the last time that this had happened – it seemed like a whole other life ago. Yet in both cases she was just as helpless; just as lost. She couldn't bear to get another abortion. She couldn't bear to go through that again, she just couldn't.

She wanted to give her child a good life. But how was she supposed to do that if she was single, working full-time with the FBI? She wanted her child to have two loving parents with normal, well-paying jobs. Maybe adoption was the best choice in her situation.

She knew what she should do - what she had to do. She had to talk to Reid. But she couldn't stand being the one who had to tell him. She just couldn't do it, it was too humiliating. She knew she had to tell him eventually... but not when they were in this mess. Maybe she would just wait until he noticed... which wouldn't be very long, knowing him.

This wasn't fair. Not to him, not to her, not to the child growing inside of her. Why couldn't things just happen normally for once? She picked up the phone and stared at it for a moment. _No, not now, _she once again convinced herself. She was hysterical, her thoughts were jumbled, she couldn't think straight. She would sleep on it until tomorrow, when she could think properly. She was exhausted again, anyway. Feeling overwhelmed and defeated, she dragged herself to her bedroom and cried herself to sleep.

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><p><em>Present day...<em>

Reid's head shot up, looking immediately at Emily, his eyes wide. Hotch didn't blink, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Emily, what are you talking about?"

She sighed, being careful to focus only on Hotch. "I'm about four weeks pregnant."

His gaze shifted to Reid. "Reid, are you the father of this child?"

He swallowed hesitantly, a million questions running through his mind. _Four weeks ago, _he thought. He knew exactly what had happened four weeks ago.

"Y-yes..." he staggered with the realization, feeling a bit uneasy.

Hotch just stared at the two of them for a long moment before leaning back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"I have to say that I am perpetually shocked. You two are lucky that I value you as outstanding agents, and I would rather prefer not to fire you. So you'd better start explaining, and it'd better be good."

_Great_. Now she had to explain. _This _was the part she had been dreading the most. This had to be one of the most humiliating things she had ever done: having to explain to her boss how she had been so irresponsible as to let a friendly get together get _way _too out of hand, and how it led to her _pregnancy._ _Great. Just fucking great._

"Um, sir, before I start, I'd just like to say that none of this was... expected. I can assure you that this didn't happen during a case, and we have not been engaged in any kind of romantic relationship. It started out as just a friendly night out for drinks, and things got way out of hand. To be honest, I don't know how it really... Got to that point..." she trailed off. "It was totally irresponsible and—"

"It's not just her fault, it's mine too," Reid suddenly blurted out. This time, Emily couldn't help it. She looked at him, shocked.

"What she's saying is true..." he trailed off, swallowing again nervously. "We were both irresponsible and it won't happen again."

She watched him as he said those words. And she _really_ looked at him. She had barely even glanced at him for weeks... and that was when she realized how much she missed him. Seeing him so uncomfortable and nervous made her feel even guiltier. Her heart sank as she felt an all-too familiar wave of emotion wash over her.

_Oh, no, no, no. Not today, not now. Not like this. Suck it up, Emily. You can't break down in front of them._

Turning back to Hotch, she said, "Sir, what we're trying to tell you is that... this was an accident," she finished, trying not to let her voice crack with the emotion building up in her throat.

Hotch's arms were still crossed, his gaze still flickering back and forth between them. "From my understanding... it seems like you two have a lot on your hands. You have a lot of problems to solve, a lot of things to work out. Our team cannot reach its full potential if you are both not completely focused... and until you two get everything sorted out, I think you should both sit this one out. I'd still like for you to consult with us, but I think you would benefit from taking a couple of days off."

She was a bit surprised. "Sir, I think we are both perfectly capable of—"

"That's an order. It's not up for discussion. Emily, I want you to take it easy from now on."

"But—"

"That's an order, too."

She opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it, feeling defeated.

"Understood?"

Both of them nodded silently.

"Good. Thank you for clearing this up. You can leave now."

Reid got up to leave and Emily followed behind him.

"Emily?" Hotch called after her just as she was about to walk out the door. She turned.

"Congratulations."

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."


	4. A Tricky Dilemma

_**A/N: **__Hi everyone! Long time, no see! I'm sorry I haven't updated in SO long, as you can see it took me quite a while for me to get my muse going again... but nevertheless, I am back! Thanks to everyone who continued subscribing to this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! Reviews are great :)_

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><p>Emily sped out of Hotch's office, taking care to avoid walking in Reid's direction – he had waited for her just outside of his office.<p>

"Emily, wait!" Reid called after her desperately. But she continued walking as if she heard nothing, speeding right through the bullpen. Quickly, she grabbed her purse and jacket off of her desk and walked off in the direction of the stairs, not wanting to be stuck inside an elevator with him.

Still, Reid continued to follow her; down the stairs and out into the parking lot. He had about a million questions running through his mind at that moment, and there was no way that he was going to let them go unanswered.

Finally, he caught up to her – just as soon as she was about to open the door to her car.

"Emily, stop, please, I need to talk to you."

She just stared at him, her eyes filled with desperation.

"Is this why you've been ignoring me all month?" he said quietly.

She looked down at the ground guiltily, still without a word. He studied her.

"Emily," he gently lifted her chin up. "Please, talk to me."

She just stared at him again, and he lowered his arm. She turned away from him, crossing her arms and looking out at the parking lot.

"I didn't want to believe it," she said. "It was so obvious... but I didn't want to face the facts. They say you can learn from your mistakes... well, I guess I didn't."

"This isn't your fault."

"Even if it wasn't... it was still irresponsible," she stared at the ground and said nothing for what felt like a long moment. "I can't get another abortion. I just... I can't."

When she looked back up, her eyes had filled with tears.

"Emily, I...'' he trailed off, a bit shocked at what she had just said, not knowing how to reply. He reached out to comfort her, tentatively putting a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't react, he gently guided her into his embrace. At first she did nothing, but after a moment she yielded to her emotions and wrapped her arms around him tightly, letting her tears pour out.

"What am I going to do," she cried helplessly.

"You're not doing this alone. It'll be okay," he whispered reassuringly. "I promise."

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><p>Reid emerged from his kitchen holding two steaming mugs of tea. He passed one to Emily and joined her on his living room couch.<p>

"Thanks," she said before taking a long sip. The soothing peppermint tea relaxed her immediately.

"Reid, I am so sorry... I've been so awful to you... I didn't mean to be so rude... I was just so humiliated, and embarrassed, and—''

"Emily – please, it's okay. There's no need to apologize; I understand," he gave her a small smile. "But I need you to promise me one thing."

She eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"No more stressing out. From now on."

Emily opened her mouth in protest. "Reid! I can't control what I get stressed about—'' she had started to go on, when Reid placed his hand on top of hers. She stopped talking abruptly, surprised at this sudden form of contact.

"Hey, just promise me you'll try... okay?"

"I promise," she said quietly, tearing her gaze away from his gentle hazel eyes.

"Thank you," he paused, withdrawing his hand. "Now, about the baby..."

Emily looked down, clearly uncomfortable with the subject. "I—I was thinking that maybe we should look into adoption..."

Reid studied her anxious expression. "Adoption?"

She nodded slowly, making shifty eye-contact. "Well, it would probably be the best option, right? I mean, we're both working full-time with dangerous jobs, and we're not together..."

When he said nothing, she continued.

"With adoption our child can grow up living in a safe home, with two parents who have enough time to look after them..."

Reid was still studying her carefully. "Is that what you want?"

She said nothing for what felt like a long time. "It's not really about what I want anymore. If that's what's best for my baby, then yes, that's what I want. It's the right thing to do."

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><p>After Emily had left, Reid was left alone to think. He still couldn't believe it. Emily Prentiss, pregnant, with <em>his <em>child. And they were putting it up for adoption... He shifted uncomfortably as he thought of his mother. _She'll be disappointed that we're not keeping it__... _he thought with a sinking feeling in his stomach. But what was even worse, was the fact that Reid could swear that he was starting to have feelings for Emily... and he could tell that she didn't feel the same way.

It all seemed so bizarre to him. Normally, Emily was the toughest woman he knew. Most of the time, she was nearly void of emotion. But around him... all of that changed. When they were alone, he found her talkative, and, he wasn't sure, but... maybe even a bit flirty. Before that afternoon, Reid had never seen her shed as many as a few tears. But earlier in the parking lot, she had flat-out cried in his arms. He had somehow gotten her to open up to him...

He thought back to their conversation in his living room. He recalled her body language as the subject changed topics, her shiftiness, the nervous tone of her voice... Reid wasn't a profiler for nothing. If she was really sure about adoption, why had she sounded so uncertain? He had to get her to open up to him again. He had to make her feel more comfortable around him... but how?

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><p>Emily shut her apartment door behind her, and leaned against it for a moment, feeling slightly perplexed. There was somewhat of a fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't go away.<p>

She wandered into her bedroom and sat down on her bed in a trance-like state; still trying to process the recent events. Why did she always get this _feeling _around him? It was so strange; she just couldn't place it... She had never felt anything like it before...

Emily's train of thought was suddenly jolted to a halt when her doorbell rang. Confused, she got up to answer it, wondering who it could be.

She opened the door to find a concerned-yet-determined-looking Penelope Garcia.

"Oh, Pen, it's you..."

"Yes, it's me!" she exclaimed as she let herself inside the apartment, closing the door behind her. "Care to tell me what happened at work this morning?"

Her expression faltered. "Well, um... it's kind of a long story..." she said, looking slightly uneasy.

Penelope studied her for a moment. "I know what'll cheer you up!" she announced, marching off in the direction of the kitchen. "A nice glass of wine."

_Oh no._ Emily quickly followed her.

"Pen, that's really not necessary..."

"Em, trust me, it'll do ya some good."

"Penelope," she put her hand on her arm to stop her, looking her straight in the eye. "Really, I can't."

She looked at her questioningly.

"Trust me, I have my reasons."

"You, my dear, have a LOT of explaining to do."

She sighed, feeling a bit flustered. "I know."

Instead, Emily made her a coffee, and they sat down in her living room.

"So," Penelope started. "What's going on with you and Reid? You two have been acting pretty odd around each other lately, if you know what I mean."

She suddenly looked very uncomfortable again. "Well, um, like I said before... it's a bit of a long story."

"I've got time."

Emily looked up. She was completely serious. She looked back down at her hands, trying to figure out how she was going to explain this.

"Honey, I'm no profiler... but it's got to be damn obvious that something's up between you guys. So, spill."

Emily shut her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose and exhaling sharply, and then opened them again after a moment.

"Okay. It all started about a month ago, when Reid had that personal case in Las Vegas... I thought he was taking it pretty hard... I felt bad, and I invited him out for drinks... and..." she trailed off.

"And?" Penelope's eyebrows were raised suspiciously.

Her gaze shifted. "And... well... we kind of, um... did some stuff..."

Once she made the realization, her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Emily Prentiss – are you trying to tell me that you did the nasty with Dr. Spencer Reid?"

"Um...yeah," she looked down, feeling a bit mortified.

"Oh. My. _Goodness! _Emily how did you keep something like this from me for so long? I totally saw this coming!"

She looked at her with a bewildered expression on her face. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, don't play that card with me... it's so obvious that you have a thing for each other!"

"Penelope, please... I mean, we're talking about _Reid _here..."

"Emily, trust me. I know these things."

"I do not have a 'thing' for him..." she mumbled.

Penelope nodded, not looking too convinced. "Mhm. Sure. Whatever you say. I know a crush when I see one... and I have a feeling that there's a little bit more to this story."

Emily stared at her, stunned. "You really do know everything."

"They don't call me the oracle for nothing," she grinned. "Now quit changing the subject!"

"Okay, okay..." she exhaled again. "I'm just going to come right out and say it..." she paused again.

"Emily Prentiss, for the love of god, would you just spit it out already?"

"Okay, alright, fine. Um... I... I'm... I'm pregnant."

Penelope looked as if someone had just thrown a million dollars into her face.

"What! Emily! Oh my god, this is amazing! You're having a _baby_! And—'' she stopped short when she noticed her expression. "You're not happy. Sorry about the wine thing, by the way."

She stared at the floor. "I thought I'd learned my lesson when I was 15..." she hung her head in shame as an unexpected wave of grief suddenly came over her.

Penelope frowned in sympathy. "Oh, Em," she walked over and sat beside her. "You don't have to feel so ashamed. It's different now, you're an adult... you can afford a baby."

"It's not that I can't afford one... but honestly, Pen. Just think about it. I'm single, I work full-time with a dangerous job, I'd probably have to hire a nanny... the poor kid would feel neglected! And if anything ever happened to Reid or I..." she shook her head. "I can't, Pen. I just can't."

"Hotch and JJ seem to be managing just fine," she countered.

"Yeah, but... JJ has Will. Haley's a great mom, but Hotch doesn't get to see Jack as often as he'd like... And let's not forget that they were once happily married..." Emily buried her face in her hands. "Reid and I, we're just... it won't work out," she mumbled.

"Emily, quit bringing yourself down," she said, concerned. "I know you'd be a great mom. You know why? Because you're strong. And even though you hide it sometimes, you have a big heart. You'd do anything to protect the ones you love. And, about Reid... just give him a chance. I know he's young but he's still an adult, and he's not always treated like one... I know you know that. And I think he loves you, Em, I really think he does."

Emily stared off into space, trying to digest her words. _Reid. Love _me?_ No. No, that can't be true... he's young. Why would he even bother with me?_

"I can't even tell if he's in love with me or not... for all I know I could be in love with him, too... I don't even know what love is!" she said, sulking. "And I'm supposed to be a profiler... right..."

"Well... how do you feel when you're around him?"

"When I'm with him we always have a good time... but whenever I think about him I get this weird, fluttery feeling in my stomach... I don't know why! Why are you staring at me like that?" Emily blurted, feeling a bit flustered again.

"Because," Penelope said, grinning. "You're definitely in love with him."


	5. Emily's Epiphany

**A/N: **So I realized that the last time I updated this was all the way back in January... *ducks tomatoes*... Honestly, I thought I had given up on this story, but after having a similar cliff-hanger experience myself, I thought that that would be just far too mean. Thankfully, I got my muse back eventually, and I figured out this _brilliant _plot line that I think you guys will love! So here's chapter five, I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really like the way this story is going so far, and I have every intention of keeping it going, no matter how long it takes me! I have also decided to change the name of the story from "Surprises" to "Blessings in Disguise", because it seemed to be more fitting and also more creative. Please feel free to review – I love hearing your comments and feedback; they keep me happy and motivated to write. Thanks so much for your continued support, dedication, and most of all, _patience_. Enjoy!

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><p>Emily shook her head in denial. "I just don't see how you can think that. I can't be in love with him... that would just be... it's just not right."<p>

"Emily, really. Why are you being so difficult! That fluttery feeling you get – it's no stomach-ache. You've got the hots for him, you just don't want to admit it," Penelope replied matter-of-factually.

"Ugh... but it's just so... _weird!_"

"Honey, love itself is a strange thing. That's how it is for everyone. It seems like a great idea in your head, but when it actually happens, everything feels really weird and awkward at first... but once you get adjusted, it's really an amazing thing."

She sighed. "I know you're right. For some reason I just don't think that this is the right thing to do... I've been thinking about adoption."

Penelope looked mildly horrified. "But... _why_?"

"I just feel like, it would be selfish of me to keep this baby. I want to have kids eventually, but... I don't think this is the right time for me."

"Em, look. You gotta listen to me here. I want you to seriously think about this, and I mean _really _think about it. Right now, I bet all of this is terrible for you. Yeah, maybe Hotch got a little ticked off... but once all of this commotion has settled, I think you'll realize that it's not as bad as you think it is. I mean, having a child and having a faithful partner are blessings that some people aren't even lucky enough to ever have. Honestly, Em, I'm not trying to argue with you. You're like a sister to me, and I think you really deserve to have something more than just a job in your life. Please, just _please; _really consider your decision before you go through with it. I'm speaking with your best interest in mind; I don't want to see you get disappointed or hurt."

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><p>Emily was once again left alone, but this time it was Penelope's words that had her mind swimming with thought. What if she <em>was<em> right? What if Reid really did love her? How could they be together without having to lose their jobs? How on earth were they going to raise a child when they were both working full-time? A million questions flew through her mind as she suddenly imagined what her life could be like a few years from now...

She was sitting on the floor of what looked like a living room. Her arms were outstretched, and on her left hand, a large diamond ring gleamed as it caught the light. She could feel herself smiling as she looked across the room: Reid was guiding a toddler towards her, holding both of her tiny hands as she started to take a few steps. Once they were about halfway there, Emily could more clearly see the toddler's disheveled light brown hair and dark eyes, which looked strikingly like her own... Beaming with glee, the little girl broke free from her father's loose grip and bolted the last few steps across the room and into her mother's arms...

Emily blinked, and the image vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. To her astonishment, when she blinked again, she realized that her eyes were filled with tears. It had seemed so real...

Was that what she had been really wanting all along? Was that vision a product of something she had secretly desired - a husband, a family, a place that she could really call home? She pondered many of these thoughts with deepening concern and wonder as she drifted off into a deep sleep.

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><p>After she had mulled through her thoughts overnight, Emily decided to take Penelope's advice and give Reid a chance – but only as a father. Contrary to popular belief, she did realize that he was a great guy – but they were coworkers, and everyone knew that there were strict rules about romantic relationships in the FBI. She didn't particularly want to lose her job anytime soon, and have the burden of finding another one... and there was also a good chance that Reid would lose his job as well. She thought that it would be best if they didn't have to deal with those kinds of issues with a baby on the way – and if Reid ever tried to argue, she would simply remind him of the promise that she made to him – the one about trying not to stress out as much.<p>

She wondered what his reaction would be like. When she had brought up the topic of adoption the previous day, he hadn't seemed to be very opinionated. He just seemed to be very concerned with what _she_ wanted. Would he disagree with her about wanting to keep the baby? It did not look that way to her, but she could be wrong... After the vision she had the previous night, she had realized that she really did want to raise her child – and whether liked that idea or not, she didn't care. She was going to go through with it, even if she had to do it all by herself.

Emily walked into work that morning feeling not exactly great, but a lot better than usual, compared to what she'd been experiencing for the past month or so. For a reason unknown to her, she felt slightly exhilarated as she walked into the bullpen; a cheerful feeling at the pit of her stomach made her feel very buoyant. The buoyant feeling escalated when she walked up to her desk and saw Reid sitting at his own desk, adjacent to hers, reading a newspaper. She could not help but smile as she set down her purse.

"Hey," she said with a grin as she sat down in her chair.

"Good morning," Reid smiled, looking up from his paper. "I got you a tea."

He reached over the divider that separated their desks and set down a large tea from Starbucks.

"Tea, what? Can't I have coffee?" she protested.

"I wouldn't recommend it. They say that women who consume more than two-hundred milligrams of caffeine a day have a much higher chance of miscarriage."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Been doing your homework, Dr. Reid?"

He shrugged. "Common knowledge."

Emily shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Well... thanks. I appreciate it," she said with a timid smile. Tea, coffee, whatever. It was still nice of him.

He returned her smile and studied her for a moment, taking in the cheerful gleam in her eyes and her elated behavior. Quite a difference from yesterday... He then realized that he hadn't got to experience this side of her for about over a month now, and he was glad to see that she was starting to get back to her normal self.

"What?" she asked him, noticing that he was staring at her. She felt her cheeks flush slightly.

"You seem much happier today," he said observantly.

"Well, yeah, I guess I'm just relieved that everything turned out okay..." she said, staring blankly at her desk.

"Me, too," he agreed. Emily looked up at him, noticing his serene expression.

"Listen, I've been thinking about this whole adoption thing..." she started

Reid listened intently; he looked both serious and interested.

"I think... maybe it was the wrong idea," she admitted. "I realized that maybe this is a blessing in disguise. It's like what Garcia says all the time, everything happens for a reason... right?"

He observed her for a moment, and then smiled softly. "Emily, I think that's great. I'll be happy to help you if you ever need me, but if you don't want me to be a part of this, I completely understand," he said, his eyes filled with a deep concern.

She was slightly shocked by this. "Reid, that's ridiculous! Of course I want you to be included. You deserve to be just as much a part of her life as I do."

"...Her?"

Shocked at the realization of what she had just said, she attempted to explain. "I, er, I just have a feeling that it's going to be a girl."

Reid had somewhat of an amused smile on his face. "Well, usually they can't tell the gender until about the eighteenth or twentieth week, when it becomes a bit more apparent."

"Er – yeah," she said, dumbfounded, feeling her cheeks turn pink again. She couldn't think of anything else to say to that.

"I think it'll be a girl, too," he added, his expression remaining stationary.

She looked surprised. "You think?"

He shrugged, and then smiled. "Just a feeling."

Emily couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, grinning cheesily all the same.

Just then, Garcia came bustling down a corridor on the upper level, her four-inch heels clicking rapidly against the tile as she walked. She spotted them with what Emily could swear was a smug expression on her face.

"You guys coming, or what?" she called across the room, her smile widening even further.

Emily shot her a slightly exasperated look before grabbing her tea and getting to her feet. Reid looked at her questioningly; he seemed to have noticed the smugness as well. She simply shrugged, intent on letting him believe that she had no idea as to what Garcia was playing at.

The two trudged off towards the staircase, Garcia waiting there for them ever so smugly. This made her worried about what was coming next. They followed her down the hallway and into her office.

"Thought you could keep a secret from me, did ya?" she asked them, sounding amused.

Reid shot Emily a look that clearly stated: "How did she find out?"

"It's a long story," Emily muttered under her breath. It wasn't a lie.

Garcia turned around to face them. Seeing their mortified expressions, she laughed delightedly.

"Oh, I'm just teasing," she said, patting the side of Reid's face. He flinched awkwardly, which made Emily laugh.

"Grab a seat, make yourselves at home," she gestured to a couple of idle office chairs.

They sat down, facing in the direction of her many giant computer screens.

"So," she began, "Have you decided how you're going to tell the rest of the team?"

"Er..." she had not even thought about that – the past day or so had been a complete whirlwind for her.

"Oh, that's right, you're... Sorry. Never mind!" she continued to type away briskly on her keyboard.

"Well... About that..."

Garcia whirled around in her swivel chair so that she could plainly see the curious expression on her face.

Emily exhaled quickly, then said with a smile: "We've decided to keep the baby."

Her reaction was first one of shock, which quickly morphed into pure joy.

"What! Emily, that's the best news I've heard all week! Aaw, I'm so happy for you guys!" she gushed, beaming happily. They were both grinning now – they couldn't help it.

Somehow, Emily had a sinking feeling that Hotch wouldn't be nearly as happy as Garcia was when he found out about their decision...


	6. Questions and Answers

**A/N: ** Hello everybody! Here is the next chapter in the series – I think I will be a lot quicker to update from now on, now that I have a rough idea of how I want the rest of the story to go. Please note that this story takes place in season four, which is when JJ took her maternity leave. Jordan Todd was with the team at this time, but since I personally dislike her character, I've taken to barely acknowledging her presence in the story. I was planning on not including her at all, but I think that it would have looked bad on the team if only three agents showed up for a case. So, I included her, but she is simply a background character and plays no significant role in the main plot. I apologize if this chapter seems really short and choppy; I think the reason for this is that there is _so _much more dialogue than what we're used to. So hopefully you guys will enjoy this chapter, (even though it kind of sucks). Thank you for subscribing/reviewing! It really means a lot. Enjoy! :)

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><p>As the BAU's private jet ascended into the sky on their way to Oregon, Aaron Hotchner could not help but wonder about the circumstances of two of his agents. He could just imagine how awkward the situation must have been for them – by the looks of it, they had scarcely spoken in weeks, and now they were forced to set aside their humiliation and discuss the future of their unborn child.<p>

It wasn't difficult to see that they were in an unfavorable situation. He wished that he could have been more sympathetic with them, but his point was clear. He understood that they had not meant for it to happen, but the team had an important job to do, and he wanted everyone to be as focused as they could possibly be. Whatever decision they made, he would respect it, but he was silently hoping that they wouldn't have to end up leaving the team. Not only were they fantastic agents, but over the years, they had become more like friends. He could say the same thing about every member on his team.

"Where are Reid and Prentiss?"

Morgan's question brought Hotch out of his reverie. He hesitated, thinking of a way to explain their whereabouts without giving away any information.

"They're with Garcia. I told them to stay behind for this case, but they'll still be consulting with us."

"What happened?" Morgan asked with a suspicious expression.

"They just needed some time to deal with a personal issue."

Morgan raised his eyebrows. What kind of personal issue would involve both of them?

"Are they all right?" Rossi asked, looking concerned.

"They're fine. It's not my place to tell you what's going on, but I can assure you that it's nothing to worry about."

Morgan and Rossi exchanged contemplative looks before they started reviewing the case file once more.

About five hours later, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, and Todd arrived at a police station just outside of Portland, Oregon. Not long after they had gotten settled in, Hotch excused himself to make a phone call.

Morgan turned to Rossi as they watched him step outside. "How much do you want to bet that he's about to call Reid or Prentiss right now?"

Rossi looked pensive. "I'm just curious as to what all this is about," he said. "What do you think?"

Morgan thought for a moment. "Reid and Emily have always been pretty close friends... but lately they've been acting like they hardly know each other. Something must've happened... but as to what that is, I have no idea."

Rossi watched Hotch's expression as he talked on the phone. "Well, with any luck, we'll find out soon..."

Back in Quantico, Virginia, Reid and Prentiss sat with Garcia in her office, helping with her research and making mental notes about the case. All three of them were trying their hardest to block out the current situation and stay focused, and so far, it was working pretty well – that is, until Emily picked up her buzzing phone: it was Hotch. She excused herself and hastily slipped out of Garcia's office.

"Hello?"

"How is everything going?"

"We're good, everything's going well."

There was a short silence.

"...Have you and Reid worked things out?"

She had known this question was coming.

"Yeah," she paused, wondering what his reaction would be. "We've decided to keep the baby."

Hotch's eyebrows furrowed. "Does that mean..."

"No, we're not together... but we've decided to bring up the child ourselves."

He relaxed slightly; but there were still a few precautions. "Alright. For now, you'll both be fine... but please try to keep your pregnancy as low profile as possible – we don't want Strauss to get suspicious."

"Yes, of course," she replied, relieved. "Thank you, Hotch."

Emily hung up the phone with a click. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all.

* * *

><p>Later on that day, Rossi decided that he'd try to get some answers out of Reid. Even if he didn't want to tell him, at least he would have a couple of hints as to what was happening. He dialed his cell phone number and waited. A few rings later, he picked up.<p>

"Hello?"

"Hey, Reid. It's Rossi."

"Hey, Rossi. Do you need to talk to Garcia or something...?"

"What are you doing right now?"

"I'm getting a coffee from downstairs... Why? What's going on?"

"I wanted to ask you the same thing."

Reid stopped in his tracks. What was he getting at? Was he trying to figure out why he and Emily weren't travelling with the rest of the team?

"What do you mean...?"

Maybe he should just get straight to the point. "There's something going on with you and Emily."

Reid paused again, this time for longer.

"If you don't want to tell me, I understand..."

After a few more seconds' pause, he finally said: "Emily's pregnant."

Rossi's eyebrows went up in shock. "Pregnant? You don't mean..."

"Yes," he said in a voice so quiet, it was barely audible. "I'm the father."

Rossi was completely taken aback. "I'm sorry, Reid, I had no idea that you two were –"

"We're not. It was... it was just a one-time thing," he said, just as quietly as before.

It all made more sense now. "Ah... I see."

"It wasn't supposed to be anything... we just went out as friends... I messed it all up..."

Most people would call this kind of situation slightly ludicrous, but Rossi could sense that Reid wasn't exactly proud of what had happened. "Don't take all the blame. It couldn't have been _entirely _your fault."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Reid said, putting his free hand in his pocket.

"What are you going to do about the baby?"

"Emily decided that she wants to keep it," he murmured.

_Emily _decided?

"How do you feel about all of this?" he asked after a moment.

Reid hesitated. "No one's really asked me how I feel... I guess I haven't really thought about it. Emily is the one carrying the child; I decided that I would support whatever decision she made."

"Do you think you're ready to be a parent?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" he said with a small smile.

"I'm glad you think that way," Rossi smiled. "You'll be a great dad."

"You think so?" he asked a little sheepishly; he just couldn't get accustomed to the title of "Dad".

"I know so," he said with a grin. "I'll talk to you later."

Rossi flipped his phone shut, just noticing that Morgan had approached him.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Reid," he replied, then lowered his voice slightly. "Emily's pregnant."

"What?!" Morgan looked just as appalled as Rossi had felt when he first found out.

"It was an accident, apparently."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Reid, of all people."

"He isn't proud of it," Rossi said sternly.

"I know... it's just so surprising. I'll have to talk to him when we get back."

* * *

><p>Later that day, after he had gotten home from work, Reid had some time to process his thoughts – something he felt like he hadn't done for a long time. He thought of his conversation with Rossi, and he wondered what it would be like to be a parent. He also wondered how often he would have custody of the baby. He then thought of how much easier it would be to bring up the child if they were together. He also thought of how much more difficult his job would be, having to pretend that he and Emily were nothing more than just two coworkers. Yes, it would be difficult; yes, it was a risky situation; but it was then that he realized, in their situation, it was impossible for them to be happy, to keep their child happy, and keep their jobs without any complications. If they were not together, they would have no complications with their jobs, but they would not be completely happy; and if they <em>were <em>together, there would be complications with their jobs, but they would all be much happier. It was also then that he realized that he really did have feelings for Emily. He knew that she was scared of being in a relationship and getting her heart broken, and she was scared of the risk of losing her job; but she was also scared of raising her child on her own. He couldn't let her do this by herself. He wanted her to see that he really did care about her, and that she didn't have to be alone. All he had to do was convince her.

"Hello?"

"JJ? It's Reid."

"Hey, Spence! How are you doing?"

"I've been alright, thanks. How are you and Henry?"

"We're good, everything's going great. So what's been going on with you? I haven't heard from you guys in a while."

Reid felt a slight twinge of guilt when she said this. "Listen, JJ... I have to talk to you about something..."

"What is it?" she said, sounding concerned.

He took a deep breath, and then began. "A couple of weeks ago, when we got back from Vegas... Emily noticed that I was taking the case pretty hard. So she invited me out for drinks, as friends... and one thing kind of led to another..."

JJ suddenly felt slightly bewildered. "Whoa, wait. Are you trying to say that you guys...?"

Reid stared at the floor. "Yeah."

Her mouth hung open in shock. "Oh my gosh... why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I was embarrassed. We both were..."

JJ frowned, wanting nothing more but to give him a hug. He sounded so upset. "Don't worry about it too much. It's in the past now, I'm sure you'll both forget about it eventually."

"That's why I needed to talk to you... there's something else."

She arched one of her eyebrows. What more could there be?

Reid took a deep breath again. "She's pregnant."

She blinked a couple of times, stunned. "She's _pregnant_?"

"Yeah," he said, a bit of a smile on his face this time.

"When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," he said, realizing that the past couple of days had gone by at a snail's pace.

"Oh, gosh... so what's gonna happen now?" she bit her lip in concern; she hoped Emily wasn't getting rid of the baby.

"Don't worry," he said with a small grin. "We're keeping it."

"Aw, Spence! That's so great. Does that mean you guys are together now?"

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I think I'm starting to have feelings for her... I think she might feel the same way, but she's too afraid of losing her job to be with me... I just think that if we were together, everything would be so much easier. Yeah, it might be a bit more difficult for us at work, but I think it would be best for the baby... and I just want Emily to be happy."

She paused for a moment, taking this in. "You really care about her, don't you."

"Yeah, I do," he said, ruffling his hair a bit in concentration. "I just don't know how to convince her."

"Hmm..." she thought for a moment. "Just be yourself. If it's really meant to be, she'll come around eventually. "

"You think that'll work?"

"I don't see how it couldn't. Don't worry, you have an entire nine months to convince her," she said, grinning. "I'm so happy for you guys, I really am."

"Thanks a lot, JJ," he said, also grinning. "You're the best."

"I'll talk to you soon, Spence. Let me know how it goes." JJ hung up her phone with a smile.


	7. A Turn for the Worse

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Sorry about the long-ish wait; summer brings out the worst of my laziness. I know you're all going to hate me after this, because I'm going camping for five days and I won't be able to update until I get back – but don't fret, I plan to update right away, because I now have a better gist of what's going to happen in the story from now on. A big thank you to all who have favourited and subscribed to this story, and also for all of your lovely reviews. Hope you all like this chapter. Enjoy! :)

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><p>Over the next few days while the team was away on the case, the energy between Reid and Prentiss started to change. Reid had taken JJ's advice – he was being completely himself, but he also took the time to make many small, yet thoughtful gestures towards Emily. Although he <em>was <em>trying to win her over, his gestures were always sincere – he was simply being polite, not kissing up.

Meanwhile, Emily was subconsciously growing more and more fond of Reid as the days went by. He gave her lots of tips and helpful information, and just did little things that made her life one heck of a lot easier. She found herself looking forward to work and becoming bored and restless when she was left by herself.

Soon enough, the team had arrived back in Quantico. Emily was glad to see everyone; the BAU was eerily different without the rest of them around. She got a pleasant surprise when Rossi slipped her a discreet "congratulations". At about the same time, Reid was approached by Morgan. "We need to talk," he said bluntly.

Reid attempted to act naïve. "About what?"

Morgan simply rolled his eyes at him and led him down the hallway to the lounge area, which was currently vacant. They sat down at one of the tables. It was reminding Reid a bit too much of the scenario in Hotch's office.

"Are you gonna tell me how this happened?" Morgan started.

"How did you find out?" he asked, wondering if it had been Rossi or Emily that had told him.

"Rossi told me," he replied. "Why didn't you tell anyone before?"

Reid looked down at his lap. "I was embarrassed. We both were. I don't know when Emily found out that she was pregnant, but we hadn't been talking for a few weeks. I only found out the day before you left for the case."

"When Hotch called you both into his office?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I had no idea. I just assumed that she felt the same way that I did, and that she was just keeping her distance. I didn't think she was hiding anything."

Morgan studied him. "Have things gotten better between you?"

"Yeah, a lot better, actually. I think we're starting to become friends again."

"Have you decided what you're going to do about the baby yet?"

"Well, at first, Emily wanted adoption... but she ended up changing in her mind. So we're keeping it," he said with a small smile.

Morgan raised his eyebrows. "Really? She just changed her mind?"

Reid looked from side to side, confused. "Uh, yeah."

"Did she tell you why?"

He thought back to their conversation. "No, not really. She just said that she thought that maybe adoption was the wrong idea, and that everything happens for a reason..."

Morgan's surprised expression turned into a devious grin. "Well that's saying something, isn't it?"

"It is?"

"Okay, look. She's carrying _your _child. If she couldn't handle being constantly reminded of you, she would've gone through with the adoption. But she didn't. If she really hated you, she wouldn't have changed her mind."

"So she doesn't hate me. It doesn't mean that she wants to be with me," he stared at the ground.

Morgan looked at him with his eyebrows raised. "_Do_ you want to be with her?"

He did not look up.

"Reid?"

He said nothing for a moment. "I just want us to be happy," he said, barely whispering.

Morgan waited for him to continue.

"I just think that things would be so much easier for us if we were together..."

"It wouldn't be easier at work," he pointed out.

"I know she doesn't want to risk losing her job, but... wouldn't it be worth it, though? For us to be a real family?"

Morgan frowned in concern. This was a tricky situation. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"Well... no..."

"Then that's what you need to do. If she is that important to you, then you need to let her know how you feel. If it doesn't end up working out between you, then... maybe it's not meant to be."

Reid thought about this for a moment. "You're right. I'll talk to her soon."

Morgan shot him one of his rare smiles. "Congrats, kid."

He returned his smile as he got up to leave. "Thanks a lot, Morgan. You really helped."

* * *

><p>After Emily had gotten home from work that day, she found herself getting into another one of her restless moods. She flopped down onto her bed and just sat there for a while, pitying herself for feeling so bored and lazy. After a few minutes of pondering, she picked up her book, and attempted to read a couple of pages, only to end up putting it down shortly after. She just couldn't find the energy to concentrate on the words. Growing increasingly frustrated, she turned on her TV and tried finding something to watch. She flipped through the guide and suddenly stopped at some kind of pregnancy show.<p>

_Ah, what the heck, _she thought, and put it on. It showed a pregnant woman who looked pretty far along, with her husband. They were talking to their doctor about their labor procedure. She had been watching the show for less than a minute when her mind wandered off into thought about her own pregnancy. She was living alone - which was fine now - but what would it be like in the later months of her pregnancy? What would happen when she went into labor? Would she have to wait for someone to pick her up and take her to the hospital? What if she somehow injured herself at home and was unable to help herself? A million bad scenarios flashed through her mind, until suddenly, she had an idea.

Emily reached over to her night table and started digging through the assortment of random items that filled the top drawer. At the bottom, she found a couple of extra keys to her apartment. She picked one of them up as she started dialing a number on her phone.

Meanwhile, Reid was also at home, doing nothing constructive. He couldn't stop thinking about his conversation with Morgan, and about how he would soon confide to Emily how he felt. He wondered how he would bring it up, and what her reaction would be. His train of thought was abruptly jolted to a halt when his cell phone started ringing.

"Speak of the devil," he muttered to himself as he glanced at the caller ID and answered the call.

"Emily?"

"Hey, Reid. Do you have anything going on tonight?"

"No, I don't. Why, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if maybe you'd want to come over here for a bit. There's something I want to talk to you about."

Was he hearing things? "Yeah, sure, I'll be right there."

He hung up his phone and grabbed his keys, unable to believe what had just happened. He didn't have any idea as to what she wanted to talk about, but this was a perfect opportunity for him to tell her what had been on his mind.

* * *

><p>Not long after their conversation on the phone, Reid arrived at Emily's apartment.<p>

"Hey," she said as she let him inside. "Thanks for coming."

"No problem," he said with his trademark timid smile.

"Do you want a coffee? Tea? Anything?" she asked him as she led the way to her kitchen.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks," he said, and the two of them sat down at her kitchen table, facing each other. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Emily laced her fingers together and stared at the table. "I was just thinking about how I'm living by myself... and that it'll probably start being more difficult for me as the months go by, and I think you should have this."

She reached into her pocket, pulled out the key, and put it on the table in front of him. He picked it up, and then looked at her.

"A key?"

"It's a spare for my apartment," she explained. "Just in case anything were to happen."

Reid studied the key, and thought for a moment. It was now or never.

He looked back up at her. "Emily, this is stupid."

She was suddenly taken aback at this. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you ever realized how much simpler it would all be if we were together?"

This time, she was really taken aback. "Reid, what are you talking about?"

"Don't you see that I care about you? That I want you to be happy?"

She just stared at him, her mouth hanging open in shock and her eyes filled with bewilderment.

"I love you, Emily. I want us all to be happy together, as a family."

Her eyes were now filled with tears. "God, I can't do this," she choked out, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Why not? Is it because you don't love me?"

She looked away from him, not being able to answer, and also trying to keep her tears from spilling over.

His voice softened slightly. "I know you do, Emily. You pretend like you don't, but deep down, you do," he said, feeling himself becoming slightly emotional as well.

"You're right. I do love you," she said almost inaudibly. "But I can't be with you. Not in these circumstances."

"So what if we have to pretend at work? It shouldn't matter. I don't want to leave the team, but if it meant being with you, I would."

"I know, but... what would happen if something went wrong between us, and we were both out of work? What if I couldn't find another job? I'm sorry, but when it comes down to it, I can't afford to be taking risks here, despite how I feel," she attempted to explain.

"Emily, how are they going to find out? What they're concerned with is what happens at work. They can't stop us from seeing each other in our own homes, like we are now. They can't stop us from having feelings."

Emily was still fighting back her tears. "Please, Spencer, you have to understand where I'm coming from," she pleaded.

Reid stopped short. She had never called him Spencer before. He slowly rose from his chair while Emily walked over to him.

"I'm sorry it has to be this way," she hoarsely whispered.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Emily," he said. She could see that his hazel eyes were filled with pain. He kissed her softly on the forehead, causing two tears to escape her eyes, which were squeezed shut. Seconds later, she heard the door click shut, signifying that he was really gone.

Emily lingered there for a moment as more tears slowly slid down her cheeks. She could still feel his lips on her forehead. It took every muscle in her body to get her to walk to her bedroom. She immediately collapsed onto her bed, grabbed one of her pillows, and clutched it tight to her chest. Her stomach clenched as her conversation with Reid started to replay over and over in her head. Soon enough, the tears were streaming down her face nonstop. She buried her face into her pillow as she stifled her cries and letting her grief overcome her, her body shaking unsteadily.

After her tears had run dry, she just lay there, clutching her pillow, her head pounding painfully. Why did everything have to be so unfair? Oh, how she really did want to be with Reid. How she longed for him to be there, holding her, wiping her tears away. Telling her that they were going to get through it, telling her that he loved her. But all of this was just a fantasy. She was alone, as she had been for so many years, trying to convince herself that she didn't need anyone.

Reid had been her friend for a few years now. He was one of the few people who could make her smile. He was awkward, like she was. He knew all about her, and he could always tell when she was upset. He always confided in her, and she liked that. Here was this wonderful man, the father of her child, confessing his love for her, and all she was doing was pushing him away. She hated herself for it. She was too afraid of letting him in, of actually relying on someone for once. It had been like this for as long as she could remember.

She pulled herself out of bed and changed into her pajamas in somewhat of a trance-like state. She washed all of the makeup off her face and rubbed her red eyes with cold water; they were sore from tears. She then found some Tylenol. She swallowed a capsule, in hopes of helping her headache. Exhausted and sore, she heaved herself back into bed, hoping that the feeling of her heavy heart would subside overnight.

* * *

><p>Things had definitely not gone as well as Reid had expected. His intentions had not been to hurt her, of course... but the truth was that he had ended up feeling hurt himself. Emily was the only person he knew who didn't try to belittle him, or make him feel like a little kid. He knew that she hadn't been trying to hurt him either, but it was just frustrating him that they couldn't be together without having some kind of complication. He hoped that she would change her mind eventually, but maybe it would be best if they both concentrated on work for a while.<p>

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><p>Once again, things had become awkward between Reid and Emily. They both masked their feelings well, and rarely talked. Emily no longer felt happy anymore. She only felt sad and empty all the time. Reid felt the same way. He noticed that she had started biting her nails again. She missed Reid so much that she could barely stand to look at him, or even think of him. Every night she cried herself to sleep. Reid missed her just as much, but he hid it well - even though it was so painful for him to see her upset and worried all the time.<p>

Days later, Emily was woken up early in the morning by her alarm clock, a few hours before work. She turned off the alarm and just lay there for a few minutes, feeling drowsy and dreading work, as per usual. It didn't take her long to figure out that there was something wrong. She turned on her bedside lamp, throwing her covers off. As she got out of bed, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness, and had to grab the wall just to keep herself steady. It was then that she noticed that her sheets were soaked with blood. Panicking, she looked down to see that her nightgown was also soaking with blood, right before the dizziness over came her. Everything went black.


	8. A Bittersweet Moment

**A/N: **Hello everybody! I'm sure you're all as excited as I am about this chapter, so I guess I'll just cut to the chase and let you read this. Please prepare yourselves for all sorts of FEELS in this installment. That's all I'm saying. Enjoy, and many thanks for the reviews, favourites, and follows! ;)

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><p>It was just going to be a normal day, like every other day had been this week. Get up, go to work. Go home. Sleep. Repeat. The weather today was cloudy, chilly, and grey. Reid thought about how much it reflected his mood as he drove himself to work that morning. He was already bored, and he hadn't even gotten there yet.<p>

He arrived at the BAU at about 8am – the usual time. The bullpen was the same as it always was – not too loud, not too quiet. The desk adjacent to his – the desk that belonged to Emily Prentiss – was currently vacant. She would arrive in the next few minutes, as usual.

Reid turned his attention to the large stack of files on his desk and set to work, only looking up to greet a few of his coworkers that passed by his desk on occasion. Fifteen minutes went by, and Emily had still not arrived. _Strange_... _She must've slept in, _he thought, and returned to his files. Another fifteen minutes passed. Still no sign of Emily. Reid checked his watch – she was over half an hour late. This was definitely not normal.

Just then, Hotch walked by. Noticing the empty desk, he stopped. "Where's Prentiss?"

"I don't know... Wouldn't she have called in sick by now if she wasn't coming?"

Hotch thought for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed. "Give her a call. See if she answers."

Reid pulled out his cell phone and dialled her number quickly. It rang and rang, his anxiety growing with each one that went by. At last, it went to voicemail.

He hung up. "No answer," he told Hotch.

"Something's not right. Go to her place, and get Morgan to go with you. Call me as soon as you find out what happened."

Minutes later, Morgan and Reid were speeding to Emily's apartment in one of the FBI's SUVs. Both of them were too on edge to say anything. Once they got there, they listened at the door for any sound of activity. There was only silence.

"Prentiss!" Morgan called. "It's Reid and Morgan!"

They listened again. More silence. Reid took out his key to her apartment, unlocked the door, and let it swing open before they moved in, their guns drawn. They split up. Reid moved in the direction of the bedroom, his heart pounding in his ears. He heard Morgan say that the apartment was clear, just as he reached the bedroom. Fear escalated in the pit of his stomach at what he saw.

"Morgan, she's here!" Reid yelled shakily, his voice cracking. Quickly, he put his gun away and knelt down beside Emily - she was passed out on the floor. Her nightgown was soaked in blood, and so were her sheets. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," he whispered to himself over and over, his mind racing with fear. He picked up her wrist and felt for her pulse – it was still there. He whipped out his cell phone and called 911 just as Morgan entered the room.

Within a few minutes, an ambulance arrived. The paramedics strapped Emily to a stretcher and carried her out. His paranoia increased as she was now out of his sight. He felt as though he mind lose his mind; he couldn't even focus on anything at all. As much as he wanted to sit next to her in the back of the ambulance, Reid ended up riding in the SUV with Morgan on the way to the hospital. He called Hotch and told him what happened. He told them both to stay at the hospital and call when they knew more information.

Reid could not help feeling anxious and extremely worried as he waited in the hospital and tapped his foot rapidly on the tile, completely oblivious to the other people in the waiting room who were becoming annoyed. He could only think of Emily, and silently hope that she'd be okay. All of that blood was _not _a good sign. The doctors would probably hook her up to an IV and give her a blood transfusion, and perform an ultrasound. Soon, they would know. He hoped that this guess would hold him over until a doctor came out to give them more information.

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><p>Emily felt herself slowly regaining consciousness, but remaining in a bit of a dreamlike state. She could hear what sounded like a muffled beeping. She scrunched up her face in annoyance, wondering what it was coming from. She exhaled in frustration; there was no way she was getting back to sleep now. She could smell the distinct scent of hand sanitizer. <em>Weird... <em>she thought. She could tell that it was morning, judging by the amount of light that her closed eyelids were barely blocking out. _Did I sleep in? _She thought, suddenly panicking. She opened her eyes, and was nearly blinded at the white brightness of the room surrounding her. This place was unfamiliar to her. _Where am I..._

She looked around. It was a plain hospital room. To her left, there were a series of machines that she was hooked up to, and on her right was an IV that she was also attached to. _So that's where the beeping was coming from, _she thought. Suddenly, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her lower abdomen. She remembered what had happened now. She had passed out this morning from heavy bleeding... But how had she gotten here? Someone must have found her and taken her to the hospital... They must've come looking for her when she didn't show up to work. Now she felt scared. What was happening to her? Why was she having cramps and heavy bleeding? Was her baby going to be okay?

Overwhelmed with fear for her unborn child, she looked around frantically, wanting immediate answers. At last she found the assistance button on her bed, and waited for someone to show up. A few seconds later, a young nurse came in the room.

"Good, you're awake," she said with a small smile. "What do you need?"

"I'd just like to know what's happening to me," she said, ignoring the searing pain in her stomach.

The nurse's expression became somber; her lips were now pressed into a tight line. "I'll go get the doctor," she said, and left the room.

Trying to be patient, Emily waited for the doctor. There wasn't really anything she could do, anyway. Not when she was hooked up to all of these machines. The next five minutes seemed to last a lifetime for her, wondering what the hell was going on. At long last, a doctor entered the room. "Emily Prentiss, correct?" he asked her. She nodded.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, aside from the cramps in my stomach," her instinct told her that she should be honest with him.

"Yes, those can be expected," he said, his expression even more solemn than the nurse's had been.

The fear she felt quickly escalated as she tried not to guess what was wrong with her. "What's happening to me?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

The doctor sat on the edge of her bed, his hands wrung together. "I wish I didn't have to tell you this," he said. "But I'm afraid that you are in the process of having a miscarriage."

Emily couldn't believe what she had just heard. She felt like the room was caving in around her as she put her hand to her mouth in shock. She could instantly feel tears welling up in her eyes. How could this possibly be happening? This was all her fault. She should've taken better care of herself... But the anger she felt at herself was nothing compared to the grief that had suddenly washed over her. Her baby, that she now so desperately yearned for, was gone. She would never get to hold her, never get to watch her grow up, never get to experience the joys of being a parent.

The doctor looked sincerely sorry for her. "I'm very sorry for your loss," he said. "You have a couple of options. You can choose to miscarry naturally in your own home, or you can choose to have a dilation and curettage operation here in the hospital. It's a brief procedure where we scrape out the womb lining. If you have the operation, you might have to stay here overnight, since you lost a bit of blood this morning."

Emily could barely control her train of thought; her mind was still reeling from the news. She nodded feebly to let him know that she understood. How on earth was she supposed to decide something this on her own?

"I can go check and see who's in the waiting room, maybe the father, or someone else who can help you decide?"

She nodded again. "Yes, his name is Spencer Reid. He should be out there."

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><p>Reid and Morgan had been waiting for about an hour, when finally a doctor appeared.<p>

"Emily Prentiss?" he said, and Reid and Morgan approached him.

"Which one of you is Spencer Reid?" he asked them.

"That's me," said Reid.

"Come with me, please," he said as he started to lead him down a corridor. Reid shot Morgan an apologetic look before following him. They stopped when they had reached the door to Emily's room.

"What's going on with Emily?" he asked immediately. The question had been burning in his mind for hours now, and he needed answers.

"She's fine," he said; yet his expression was grave. "Emily is having a miscarriage."

Reid froze, unable to move for a moment. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had gone dry.

"A – a miscarriage?"

"I'm extremely sorry for your loss. She's just inside here, if you'd like to see her."

"Yes, thank you," Reid said shakily, and the doctor left. He ran his hands over his face, shutting his eyes for a moment. He couldn't believe what was happening. He briefly considered going into the waiting room to tell Morgan first, but thought better of it. Emily needed him, and he needed her. Morgan could wait. He let out a shaky breath and pushed open the door.

Reid was so relieved to see Emily conscious again – but that relief was soon replaced with worry as soon as he saw how upset she was. The tears that she had been trying to hold in spilled over as Reid rushed over to her. He sat next to her on the bed and just held her, gently stroking her hair as she sobbed into his chest. Reid could not help but feel emotional as well, a lump rising in his throat. When she had calmed down a bit, he continued to hold her, knowing that they both felt the exact same way. Slowly, she pulled herself up, looking into his eyes. In her facial expression he could see the overwhelming grief that he felt inside. He wiped her stray tears away, desperately wishing that there was something, anything, that he could make her do to feel better. But he knew that there was nothing he could do to ease the pain that they both felt for the loss of their child.

"It was you that found me in my apartment, wasn't it?" she said quietly.

He nodded. "Morgan's here too."

This made Emily feel even guiltier. "I'm so sorry," she said, as fresh tears sprung to her eyes. "I shouldn't have pushed you away."

Reid shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you," he said quietly.

"I deserved it for being so stubborn," she muttered.

"It doesn't matter now," he said, gently taking her face in his hands and wiping away her tears with his thumbs. "All that matters is that you're safe."

Emily buried her face in his shoulder, just letting him hold her again. How could she have ever doubted him? She felt so stupid for not letting him in. She just sat there for a while, becoming overwhelmed with her own sadness, and compassion for this man. After a few quiet minutes, she made herself speak.

"The doctor said that I can either finish miscarrying at home, or I can have a dilation and curettage," she told him.

"What do you want to do?" he asked her.

"I want the D&C, just to get this over with... but he said that since I lost a lot of blood this morning, I might have to stay here overnight, and I really don't want to be here by myself..." she found herself on the verge of tears again; the thought of staying in the hospital by herself for a whole night was practically terrifying.

Reid started stroking her hair again, seeing that she was becoming distressed. "Well, if you have the operation and rest here with the IV for a few hours, maybe they'll let you come home tonight."

She nodded. "Okay." She would've preferred to just go home right away, but hopefully her cramps would let up a bit after the surgery.

He studied her, his expression full of concern. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I just have some cramps, that's all..." she replied, once again ignoring the pain.

"Do you think you're ready for the operation?" he asked.

"Well I don't really have a choice, do I? Plus I'll just be knocked out the whole time."

Reid smirked a bit. "That's true. Should we call the doctor?"

"Not just yet," she said, trying to put off him leaving her for a bit longer. "You'll be here to pick me up, right? Maybe get some rest in the meantime?"

"What do you mean? I'm not leaving," he said, sounding as if the idea seemed ridiculous to him.

"But I could be asleep for hours!" she protested.

"Emily, I'm fine. I'm not going anywhere. _Don't _argue," he said when she tried to speak again. She gave him one of her signature glares.

"I think you should call the doctor now," he said. "The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can get out of here."

"I don't want you to leave," she pouted, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't worry, I'll be with you again before you know it," he said, cupping her face in his hands. Before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled her closer and kissed her. It took Emily by surprise at first, but she didn't dare protest. As she kissed him back, she suddenly knew that it was real. That she really had been in love with him all along; she simply hadn't seen it at first. They broke apart after a moment, leaning their foreheads against each other's.

"I love you," she blurted out breathlessly, needing him to know that it was really coming from her.

In that moment, Reid felt like something had clicked. Something like a missing puzzle piece; something that felt like a part of him.

"I love you, too," he said. "More than anything."


	9. The Reason Why

**A/N: **Hello my lovely followers! First off I would like to apologize for the long wait. It's been a pretty hectic few weeks for me, not gonna lie. I've been very preoccupied lately. Nevertheless, here is the ninth installment. Just a warning that this may be triggering to anyone who has dealt with a miscarriage, or anything of the sort. Thank you for following, favoriting, and reviewing. It means a lot. Enjoy! :)

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><p>Reid left the room feeling slightly dazed – but as soon as he remembered where he was, and why he was there, that dazed feeling left as quickly as it had come. Emily was about to have an operation, and Morgan was still waiting for him, who had no idea what was going on. He began walking down the hallway, feeling uneasy. Any feelings of comfort that he had felt when he was with Emily had now been replaced with feelings of emptiness and despair. He reached the waiting room and walked over to Morgan.<p>

"What's going on?" he asked him.

He sighed. "Emily's having a miscarriage," he said quietly. "She's about to have a dilation and curettage operation."

Morgan's expression hardened with shock. "Reid, I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'll be staying here while she's having the operation. Could you go back to the BAU and tell Hotch what's going on?" he asked him.

"Alright," he agreed. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay here?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine here. Thanks, though."

"Give me a call when you need me to pick you guys up, or if you need anything else." And with that, Morgan left.

For about three hours, Reid occupied himself by reading stacks of newspapers and magazines in the waiting room. He wasn't exactly bored; he was just tired, and a bit anxious. He was glad to have some time to think to himself, but he couldn't help being worried about Emily. Finally, she was discharged, and he could take her home. Morgan arrived shortly thereafter; he was going to drive them back to the BAU so that Reid could pick up his car. He sat in the back seat of the SUV with Emily, holding her hand the whole way.

"So the operation went all right?" he asked her.

"I'm assuming so. I couldn't feel a thing," she replied with a grim smile.

"Garcia's dying to see you," Morgan told her. "She made me promise that we'd visit you guys sometime this weekend."

Emily gave him the same sad smile. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Reid caught her eye, and squeezed her hand. He couldn't stand seeing her upset, and even though he knew she couldn't help it, he wanted her to know that he was there for her.

When they got to the BAU, they thanked Morgan and left with Reid's car. After picking up a few things from his own apartment, Reid drove them to Emily's place. After a whirlwind of a day, they could both relax for a while. Emily was thinking the same thing, until she forgot what she was doing and stopped dead in the middle of her bedroom doorway, just staring at the bloody mess.

"Spencer..."

Reid walked over to where she was standing, and followed her gaze. His stomach clenched at the sight of it, as flashbacks of finding Emily unconscious started coming back to him. He put his hand on the small of her back and started leading her towards the living room. "C'mon," he said. "We'll worry about that later."

They sat down on the couch. Emily looked like she was about to break down in any second.

"I can't do this," she choked out, as one by one, tears began to stream down her face.

"Emily, look at me," he said as he gently took her face in his hands. "I know that this is a hard thing to accept, and it's going to take some time. But you're not doing this alone. We're going to get through this, together."

"I know," she whispered, the tears still coming. "I just feel like this is all my fault. I feel like I'm a failure."

Reid literally felt like something had disintegrated inside of him. "Emily," he said, staring into her eyes. "You're not a failure. This was not your fault. This happens naturally to hundreds of thousands of women all the time. This is no reflection on you, at all. Do you understand me?"

She nodded, and he started to stroke her hair. "Promise me you'll stop blaming this on yourself."

"I promise," she said, barely audible.

"Thank you," he said, wiping her tears away gently. He pulled her into his arms, silently wishing for all of it to be over. He could barely stand seeing her like this. He hadn't seen her happy in over a week, and that upset him.

Reid held her there for a while, and eventually she fell asleep. Being careful not to wake her, he got up slowly from the couch. He picked up one of the blankets in her living room and draped it over her. He went into her bedroom and stripped off all of the bedclothes, and put them in the washing machine. He cleaned up the blood on the floor, and then found clean sheets and a comforter to put on the bed. Then he ordered Chinese food.

As he had suspected, Emily started to come around as soon as the food had arrived. He set it down on the living room table and sat in a chair next to the couch. Emily rolled over on the couch and slowly opened her eyes.

"You ordered Chinese food?" she asked him hazily. She was barely awake.

He couldn't help but grin. "Go wash your face and we'll eat."

She sat up, giving him a skeptical look. "Okay..." she said before walking off in the direction of her bedroom. She came back a minute or two later, wearing a pair of pajamas and a bit of a smile on her face. Reid went and sat over on the couch, and she sat next to him, putting her arms around his neck.

"You did all that for me?" she asked him, their faces inches apart.

"If you thought you were going to end up cleaning that yourself, you were wrong," he told her.

She grinned at him, leaning in to kiss him softly.

"I love you so much," she told him quietly, her heart racing.

"I love you, too," he said with a small smile. "Let's eat, before it gets cold."

Emily and Reid spent the rest of the night snuggled in bed, watching movies together. Although Emily definitely wasn't over the shock of the day's events, she found it easier to cope, with Reid taking care of her. She still felt fragile and vulnerable, but it wasn't nearly as bad, now that she had his company.

"Spencer?" she said quietly.

"Mhm," he murmured. His arm was around her shoulders while she was curled up next to him, her head resting on his chest and her arms wrapped around his waist.

"What do you think is going to happen when we go back to work on Monday?" she asked, looking up at him.

He frowned, looking down at her. "I don't know," he said truthfully. "Hopefully Strauss doesn't know all of the details. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just wondering," she said. "I just hope that one of us won't have to end up leaving the team."

"Well, we'll just have to be convincing, won't we?"

She smiled. "They're going to find out eventually, though."

"Yes, and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. "I'm sure we'll be able to stay on the team if Hotch can convince Strauss that we're good actors."

"Or Rossi, maybe," she added, grinning. They both laughed.

"Let's not worry about any of that now," he said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

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><p>Emily woke up the next day feeling well rested Bright morning sunlight was pouring through the windows, illuminating the apartment. She was still resting on Reid's chest – the same position that they had fallen asleep in. She looked up at him. He looked so peaceful that she didn't dare try to wake him. She put her arms around his neck and snuggled up to him, resting her head against his shoulder, and contenting herself by watching him sleep for a bit. After a few minutes, he stirred.<p>

"Emily..." he mumbled, not quite awake yet.

She reached up to give him a soft kiss. "I'm right here," she said, caressing the side of his face. He opened his eyes slowly, smiling his signature timid smile.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked him.

"Much better than usual," he replied. He felt like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in ages. "How are you feeling?"

Emily paused for a moment before rolling over onto her back. She just lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. The happy feeling had suddenly left her and she was left with a sickening icy sensation that trickled through her whole body. "I'm a lot better when I'm not thinking about it, don't you think?" she said, her throat becoming tight.

Reid frowned, taking her hand. This was killing him. "Emily, I know this is hard for you. It's hard for me, too," he said, trying to think of something to say that could give her closure... but he came up empty. Although the death of any person is a difficult thing to overcome, that person had at least lived their life to some extent. This was different. A loss of a life is always painful – but this was a loss of a life that would never be lived. They had lost their baby – but to them, all it would ever be was their baby. They would never know their name, their appearance, their personality, or even their gender. It was simply a child that belonged to him and Emily. That was all they knew, and that was all they would ever know.

These facts, however, did not make the grief any easier to deal with. All he knew was that he had a son or daughter that he would never know. That bothered him. He was used to knowing mostly everything – and if he needed answers, he could easily find them... but this answer wasn't something he could read in a book. This was a question that no one knew the answer to.

"It's hard, wondering about something you'll never find out," he finally said, trying to swallow the lump that was rising in his throat. "Wondering what could've been."

Emily was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt. He had been there for her this whole time, and she had been too caught up in her own self-pity to realize that this was affecting him, too. She squeezed his hand as her eyes filled with tears. "I just wish I knew why this had to happen to us," she said, barely audible.

That was when it hit him. There was one thing that might bring them closure. He looked up at her hopefully. "Everything happens for a reason."

She looked at him, a bit bewildered. "What?"

He took both of her hands in his. "I hate to say this, but... what would our relationship be like if this hadn't happened?"

"What do you mean?" she asked him, even though she secretly knew exactly what he meant. She just couldn't stand the guilt, couldn't stand the fact that it took the death of their unborn child for her to accept that she had feelings for Reid.

"Don't you remember what it was like before this happened? We weren't even talking. What if that hadn't changed?"

"Don't say that," she said, biting her lip, trying not to think about what might've happened.

"Emily, honestly, do you think that anything would've changed between us?"

She frowned, thinking hard. She was so frustrated and confused that she couldn't even think straight. She loved Reid, but would she have admitted that before? She wasn't even sure. "I don't know. I really don't know. The truth is, I was too stubborn to admit that I loved you. I was scared; I didn't want to get into a relationship that our jobs would prevent from going anywhere... I didn't want to deal with that on top of the pregnancy but I... I need you," she said in a rush as tears began trickling down her face. "I'm so sorry, Spencer."

"Shh, don't cry," he whispered as he pulled her into his arms. He knew that talking about the situation upset her, but it would just make it worse if they didn't talk about it at all.

"Maybe if I had just told you in the first place, this wouldn't have happened," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Emily," he said, pulling her back so he could look her in the eye. "You promised me that you'd stop blaming yourself."

"I just need to know why," she whispered desperately.

"But there is no reason why, and you're going to make yourself crazy trying to find the answer. I know that it's a hard thing to accept," he said patiently. "But my point is, even though this is painful, there must be some kind of positive outcome of this whole experience... and I think that positive outcome is that it brought us together. It made us realize that we need each other."

Emily thought this over for a minute. "So, you're saying that the good thing about this is that we're together now?"

He nodded carefully, and she crawled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his shoulder. He started to stroke her back. "I guess you're right," she said quietly.

"You guess?" he asked her. He felt neither happy or sad. Just worried, and a bit drained.

She tilted her head that she could look at him, her dark eyes filled with a deep sadness. "It just isn't fair."

"I know. We're going to get through this; I promise," he said, brushing the hair out of her face. "Things are going to get better."

They just stared into each other's eyes for a moment, until Reid leaned in to kiss her slowly. They leaned back onto the bed as the kissing become more intense, Reid on top of her while her arms were wrapped around his neck. They both became lost in the moment, both wanting more. They broke away for a minute to catch their breath.

Emily smiled at him lovingly, gently running her fingers through his hair. "I'm not supposed to have sex for a week."

"We don't have to have sex," he told her.

"I know, but... It's too tempting," she grinned.

"Fair enough," he agreed, also smiling. "Maybe we should have some breakfast?"

At the mention of food, Emily realized that she was starving. "Sounds good to me."

The two of them started making breakfast together with the radio on in the background. Well, Reid was doing most of the work, but Emily was helping where she could. About twenty minutes later, they sat down and loaded their plates with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon.

"Sorry I couldn't help out more," she said a little sheepishly. "I can't cook to save my life."

"Why do you say that?" he asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Well... I basically grew up with a housekeeper for a mother. My mom was hardly ever around, and when she was, she never cooked... Plus I was a tomboy; I never really paid any attention to that kind of stuff."

Reid gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, it's never too late to learn."

Emily smiled back timidly, her heart giving the tiniest tug. There were so many reasons why he was good for her. Meanwhile, Reid was glad to see her smiling again. It comforted him knowing that he could help her feel better. He reached across the table to squeeze her hand.

"Are you feeling a bit better?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I am. A lot better, actually," she said, squeezing his hand back in reassurance. Suddenly, Reid's cell phone rang. He frowned at the called ID.

"Who is it?" she asked him, but she thought she might just know the answer.

"Hotch," he said as he flipped it open. "Hello? Yeah, we're fine, everything's fine ... I can be there in about half an hour ... Yeah, I am ... Yeah, I'll let her know ... Alright. Bye."

"Don't tell me," she said, not even bothering to finish her sentence. She already had a good guess as to what was happening.

"New York," he said, his lips pressed into a tight line. "Hotch said that you don't have to travel with us if you don't want to."

"No, I want to," she said with an air of defiance in her voice.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked her, sounding concerned.

"Spencer, I'm fine," she said with a tone of finality. "I'd rather go with you guys than be left here alone."

"Alright. Let's get going then," he said, rising from his seat and collecting their plates.

"We'll have to take our own cars," Emily added as she began covering up the extra food with plastic wrap.

"Yeah, actually I think I'm going to go shower at my place," he said, disappearing into the bedroom and coming out with his overnight bag. She frowned. She hadn't been expecting him to leave so soon. He walked over to where she stood, taking her face in his hands.

"Don't be upset," he said. "If we work hard, we'll solve this case in no time."

She nodded feebly, trying her best to give him a small smile. "I know." He leaned in and kissed her deeply, both of them trying to make it last as long as possible.

"I love you," he said after they had pulled away.

"I love you, too," she said quietly, wishing that they didn't have to go on the case.

"I'll see you at the BAU," he said. As he left, Emily realized with a sinking feeling that those would be the last signs of affection that they would exchange with each other for hours, maybe even days.


	10. Back to Work

**A/N: **Hello everyone! I'm very sorry for the wait; I was unexpectedly sent away from home to stay with a relative for a few days. Also, I'm sorry for the lack of action in this chapter. Gotta have some boring case details in here somewhere, right? Anyway, hope you guys like this. Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing_. _Enjoy! :)

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><p>Emily used her short time alone to start preparing herself for the upcoming case. She stepped into her shower, hoping that the hot water would relax her a bit. She knew that the case would be difficult for her no matter what. She still felt so vulnerable, and she knew that it was going to hit her hard – and this time she couldn't run to Reid for comfort. She was just going to have to hold her head high and deal with it. She had to prove that she was strong, that she could still handle her job. She also had to pretend that she and Reid were no more than coworkers, and now that seemed like it was going to be much harder than she ever imagined.<p>

Emily was determined to make it appear as if nothing was going on between her and Reid, even if the team wasn't aware of their blossoming romance. She silently reminded herself that it was only at work where they had to pretend – what went on between them in their personal lives was their business, and no one else's.

She stepped out of her shower feeling more ready than she had a few minutes ago. Yes, it would be difficult for her to disguise her feelings towards Reid, especially after all that had happened, but they could make up for lost time when they returned home. She also knew that despite her plans of hiding their relationship, the team would end up weaseling it out of them at some point or another. There were hardly any secrets with a team of closely knitted profilers... but whenever the team would find out; neither Reid or Emily would feel any shame. Although they were coworkers, after all the years of working together, they treated each other more like family than anything.

Emily dried herself off and dressed in clothes suitable for work that were comfortable enough to travel in. She added some last-minute items to her already pre-packed go bag and scanned her apartment for anything else that she thought she might need. Once she was sure that she had everything, she shut off all of the lights, locked her apartment securely, and set off for the BAU.

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><p>The silver elevator doors opened before her, revealing the semi-bustling but never overcrowded bullpen. She approached her desk, noticing that she had arrived before Reid. <em>Good, <em>she thought. Hotch knew that they had been with each other that morning, but it would look suspicious to everyone else if they showed up at the same time. Dropping her go bag by her desk and removing her jacket, Emily walked over to the stairs and began to climb them to the upper level. There was someone who she needed to see – privately – before they left for the case. She reached the office and gingerly knocked on the open door.

Penelope Garcia swung around in her swivel chair, her face lighting up at the sight of her. "Emily!" she exclaimed, sounding a bit surprised. She rose from her seat and hurried over to her, engulfing her in an enormous hug. She leaned back after a moment, putting her hands firmly onto her shoulders.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" she asked her quietly, hoping that she wasn't being too intrusive.

"I've been alright, thanks," she said, managing a small smile.

Penelope returned her smile. "Dr. Reid's being good to you, then?"

Emily bit her lip, staring at the floor, smiling a bit to herself. _So much for pretending,_ she thought. In her defence it was Garcia. Yes, she was a co-worker, but more importantly, she was one of Emily's closest friends and confidants. She also knew _everything_, and if there was something she didn't know, she would figure it out soon enough. There was no point in trying to hide anything from her, anyway.

"Yeah," she said, looking up at her with a bright smile, her eyes twinkling. "He is."

Slowly, Penelope took in her smile and the gleam in her eyes, smiling to herself. "You really love him, don't you?"

Emily felt her cheeks flush. She paused for a moment before answering. "...I don't think I would've been able to get through this without him."

Penelope smiled again. "You two are perfect for each other. I'm so happy you've found each other, despite everything that's happened."

"You think so?" she asked her, blushing again.

"Definitely," she said, giving her shoulder a pat. "I didn't expect you to be coming in for this case. Are you going with the team?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Penelope raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I think so. I don't really think that I should take any time off, because it'll be even more difficult for me to get readjusted if I fall out of my schedule... I know it'll be hard, but... I think it's best if I go on this case."

She grinned at her. "Good for you, Em. I'm proud of you."

Emily returned her smile. "Thanks, Pen."

"Anytime," she replied, walking over to her desk and picking up a small stack of what Emily presumed to be their case files. "Shall we?"

The two agents made their way to the round table room for the briefing. Inside waiting were the rest of the team: Hotch, Reid, Morgan, Rossi, and Todd.

"You're back," said Rossi, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"So you've decided that you're ready to go on this case?" asked Hotch.

Emily nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Are you sure? There's no turning back once we board that plane," he said carefully.

She nodded again, holding her head high and trying to look determined. "Yes, I'm sure."

"Alright. Have a seat and we'll get started," he said as Emily took a seat next to Rossi. Garcia began to hand out their case files while Todd started the briefing.

"Over the past three weeks, three teenage girls have been abducted and found murdered: Allison Hitchens, 15; Rebecca Wells, 18; and Megan Antworth, 17," she said as she flipped through their photos. "All three girls were found in dumpsters near their homes; all three were kidnapped, held for two days, raped, and stabbed to death."

"The murders are identical. The un-sub is most likely trying to relive a certain past experience," Rossi commented.

"The girls also have physical similarities. They all have brown hair and an athletic build," Morgan added.

"The un-sub stabbed them all in the abdomen area, which could represent something out of a past experience like Rossi mentioned, or possibly hatred towards women," Reid stated.

"Garcia, I need you to pull up all of the information that you can find on the three victims, and see if you can find any connections," Hotch instructed the technical analyst. "We'll discuss this more on the flight. Wheels up in twenty."

The team all got up and headed to the door. Emily simmered over the case in her mind: teenage girls. It was still awful, but at least the case didn't involve young children. Garcia stopped her on her way out of the briefing room.

"Hey," she said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck on the case."

"Thanks, Pen," she said, giving her a quick hug. "Same to you."

The two women left the room and went their separate ways – Garcia in the direction of her office, Emily in the direction of the bullpen. She walked over to her desk, noticing that Reid was hanging around his desk for longer than he needed to be. She could tell this by the way he was shuffling papers and pretending to write things down. She sat down in her chair.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked him, sounding slightly amused.

He looked up abruptly, shoving the papers into a file folder. "Waiting for you," he said sheepishly. Emily could swear that his cheeks were tinged pink.

"Oh, really?" she said, grinning and raising her eyebrows at him, but inside her heart was pounding.

He smiled, and his expression softened slightly, his eyes full of concern. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, Spencer," she told him earnestly. "Thank you for asking, though."

"How do you feel about the case?" he asked her.

"I'll be okay... I'm going to miss you, though," she added quietly.

"I'll still be with you," he said.

"You know what I mean," she looked up at him, a pointed look in her eyes.

"I know," he whispered gently, and paused for a minute. "I love you."

Emily's heart gave a painful tug. She wanted to kiss him so badly. "I love you, too," she whispered back. "You'd better get going."

Reid grabbed his bag. "See you on the plane," he said, and walked off. She waited a couple of seconds to give him a head start before grabbing her own bag and heading to the airstrip.

About an hour and a half later, the team arrived in Rochester, New York. The team was collaborating with the Rochester Police Department on the case. After everyone was introduced, they set to work.

"Garcia, did you find any connections between the three victims?" Hotch asked the technical analyst over the phone.

"Zero, zip, zilch," she proclaimed with a small sigh. "These girls all lived in different areas of the city. Allison and Megan both went to public schools, and Rebecca went to a private school. As far as I can tell, these girls probably wouldn't have crossed paths."

Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. So far they had narrowed it down to a male, young adult in his early to mid-twenties. They figured that since his victims all shared physical characteristics and age group, the un-sub was trying to re-enact or relive a possibly traumatic past experience. He most likely lived within or around the city, and he knew it well. He probably grew up in Rochester. It was also likely that the un-sub stalked his victims before kidnapping them, that way he could become accustomed to their schedules before deciding on the right moment to kidnap them.

"Pull up the names and addresses of the victims' parents," he told Garcia, and turned to the rest of the team. "Let's all split up into pairs to interview the families. Morgan and Rossi will interview the Hitchens family, Reid and Prentiss will visit the Wells family, and Todd and I will go to the Antworth household."

Emily let out an internal sigh of relief. Interviewing the victims' parents was one of the most difficult tasks, but thankfully she was going to have Reid with her for support. After Garcia had listed off the addresses, the team split up into their pairs and headed out into the parking lot, climbing into the SUVs.

"Do you think he did that on purpose?" asked Reid when they had gotten into the car.

She thought for a moment. "Well, he must've done it so that we could have each other for support," she said. "He probably thought that if things went bad in the interview, you would know the right thing to say to me if I... broke down."

He pressed his lips into a tight line. "You're going to be fine, Emily," he said as he reached over and squeezed her hand gently.

She nodded. "I'm just glad that you're here with me," she said, squeezing his hand in return.

"Me, too," he said with a tiny smile. "Let's get going."

Although Emily preferred to use the GPS, Reid insisted on them using a map to navigate. Once she knew roughly where they were going, Emily pulled out of the parking lot, listening to Reid's directions to the Wells residence. About twenty minutes later, they reached a residential area of large mansions.

"Rebecca Wells was the only one out of the three victims who attended private school," said Reid. "I predicted that her family would live in this type of neighbourhood."

"Yeah," Emily agreed, absentmindedly chewing on her lip and remembering how much she hated her old neighbours when she was a child. "Let's just hope that they don't fit the snobby stereotype."

They pulled into one of the many extravagant mansions on the street. The pair climbed up the winding walkway and reached the door. Reid rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, a petite woman opened the door. She had wavy brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. She was wearing a light grey tweed pencil skirt, black pumps, a dark grey blouse, and a white pearl necklace.

"Who are you?" she asked them, sounding a bit distressed.

"Mrs. Wells?" Emily asked her. The woman nodded slowly. "I'm Agent Prentiss, this is Dr. Reid," she said as they held out their badges. "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your daughter's abduction."

Mrs. Wells hesitated, looking back and forth between them before opening the door wider. "Come in," she said, turning around and leading them to a very large living room. Just as they were entering the room, a man walked in. He was about six feet tall, with short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He wore light grey dress pants, black dress shoes, and a lilac dress shirt. The two agents assumed him to be Mr. Wells.

"Did I hear the doorbell ring?" he asked his wife. Reid and Prentiss stepped into his view. "Who are these people?"

"They're FBI agents," she told him.

"FBI agents?" he said, looking alarmed.

They held out their badges again. "I'm Dr. Reid, this is Agent Prentiss," he said. "We've come to ask you a few questions about your daughter, Rebecca."

His expression softened, and he became noticeably paler. "Are you working on her investigation?"

"Yes," Reid said with a nod.

Mr. Wells nodded slowly and swallowed. "Please, sit down," he said gesturing to a few couches and chairs. Mr. and Mrs. Wells sat down on one of the couches and Reid and Prentiss sat on the one across from them.

"Can you tell us about the night that your daughter was kidnapped?" Emily asked them.

"I was supposed to pick her up from volleyball practice on my way home from work," began Mrs. Wells, sounding pained from the memory. "But I was stuck in traffic. Richard was working late that night, so I texted her to see if she could get a ride home. She texted me back a few minutes later saying she got a ride. I asked her from whom, but she didn't answer. I started calling her, but it kept going straight to voicemail. By the time I got to the gym where her practice was, everyone had left. I went home and she wasn't there, so I called the police."

"Did you notice anything unusual about her text messages?" asked Reid.

She looked slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Did they seem like they were genuinely from Rebecca," he explained.

Mrs. Wells thought for a moment. "Well, I couldn't really tell you for sure, since they were texts... but yes, they did seem genuine."

"Did Rebecca ever mention anything about someone following her?" Emily asked.

The married couple looked at each other, seeming a bit alarmed. "No, she didn't," said Mrs. Wells. "Do you think that she was stalked?"

"It's possible, yes," she answered. Tears sprung to the older woman's eyes. Her husband frowned, and put a comforting hand on her back. Emily and Spencer exchanged glances. This situation was always uncomfortable. Mrs. Wells straightened herself up, fanning her eyes with her hands.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's just very hard to talk about Rebecca in this light."

"We understand," Emily said consolingly. "We appreciate your cooperation. Any information that you can tell us may contribute to us finding whoever did this to your daughter."

She sniffed, and nodded. "Alright. Go ahead."

"Did either of you notice anything peculiar around your neighbourhood? For example, an unfamiliar car that you've seen drive by more than once?" asked Reid. Both of them shook their heads.

"Can you tell us more about Rebecca?" Emily asked them.

"What does that have to do with the investigation?" asked Mr. Wells.

"We're profilers, we observe human interaction," she explained. "If we know more about Rebecca's life, we may be able to find a connection that could've linked her to the killer. Like I said before, any information helps."

Mr. Wells paused for a moment before speaking. "Becca was always a good girl. She got good grades, she had lots of friends, and she never broke the rules. She was always nice to everyone," he said, seeming a bit distant.

"She was supposed to start university next year," Mrs. Wells sniffed. "She was going to study to become a doctor... and she loved volleyball. She played it ever since she was a little girl."

Mrs. Wells seemed to be on the verge of tears again. Her husband stroked her back, trying to comfort her. Reid and Prentiss were both frowning, knowing all too well what the couple was going through.

"Is there anything else that you'd like to know?" asked Mr. Wells.

Emily shook her head. "No, that's everything," she said quietly as they both rose from the couch. "Thank you for your time."

Mr. Wells got up to escort them to the door. Emily handed him one of her business cards. "If you think of any other information that may be useful, give us a call," she told him.

He nodded. "I will. Have a good night," he said, and shut the door. Emily let out a huge sigh of relief. She felt like the interview had sucked the life out of her.

"That wasn't as bad as I expected," Reid said as he guided her to the SUV.

Emily shrugged. "I'm just glad it's over," she said tiredly.

"Me too," he agreed. "They seemed like nice people."

"Yeah," she said with a frown. "They did."

They reached the car. Reid turned to look at her, and saw that she was upset. He pulled her into his embrace, stroking her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his shoulders. Neither of them cared if anyone saw them, both were enjoying the brief time they had alone together. They pulled away after a moment.

"I'll drive, okay?" he said, his eyes filled with concern. She nodded, and they both got into the car. Reid held her hand all the way back to the police station.

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><p>That night, Emily lay in her hotel room bed, wide awake. She had been tossing and turning for about an hour, and she just couldn't sleep. It was just one of those nights where her mind refused to shut off. She thought about everything: the case, her miscarriage, Reid... Frustrated, she gave up. She turned on her bedside lamp and grabbed her phone.<p>

"_Hey, are you still up? _" she texted Reid.

"_Yeah. What's up?" _he replied a few seconds later.

"_Can't sleep :(" _she replied. Five minutes later, she heard a soft knock on her door. She jumped out of her bed and ran on her tiptoes to the door. She opened it to find a pajama-clad Dr. Reid standing in front of her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door carefully.

"You didn't have to come here," she said, half scolding him, half relieved that he had come.

"I know," he said, sliding his arms around her waist. "But I missed you too much."

Emily threw her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. They hadn't kissed since that morning, but even that felt like too long for her. She couldn't get over the searing passion that they had together. She found herself craving his touch more and more ever since they had first kissed two days ago. They broke away after a minute, both breathless. Emily took his hand and led him over to the bed. They got in, curling up close to each other under the blankets.

"How do you think you did today?" Reid asked her.

"I'm not really sure. I just want to catch this bastard, I can't wait to get home," she said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I think we all do. On the plus side, I think the team is getting a couple of days off once we get back," he told her.

"Really? That would be wonderful... a whole few days to ourselves," she said, grinning a bit deviously.

"I was thinking the same thing," he said, leaning in to kiss her again.

She accepted his kiss gratefully. "Mmmm," she murmured her heart racing. She could get used to this.

"We should get to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a long day," he said after they broke away.

"Can't wait," Emily grumbled sarcastically. She reached over to turn off the bedside lamp and cuddled up next to him, giving him one last peck on the lips.

"I love you, Spencer."

"I love you, too, Emily. Sweet dreams."


	11. The Next Step

**A/N: **Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that it's taken me literally months to write this. I've just been so busy with school and homework and such – add several cases of writer's block to that mix and you have a complete catastrophe! But, nevertheless, I am back. I hope you guys like this chapter. It took me forever to generate enough ideas for it, but I think it turned out pretty well! Please leave me reviews, let me know what you think! Thanks for your continued support, as always. Enjoy! :)

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><p>Emily stirred in her sleep, slowly feeling her senses coming back to her. She rolled onto her back, feeling warm and well rested, enjoying the soft sunlight that radiated throughout her apartment. Just as she was about to get out of bed, something made her hesitate - the distinct smell of coffee was wafting in from her kitchen. Suspicious now, she carefully got up and tiptoed into her kitchen. Her coffee pot was about half full, and still hot. It obviously wasn't a burglary or break-in... There was only one person who it could be...<p>

She walked into her living room, and confirming her suspicions, there sat Spencer Reid, reading a newspaper with a mug of coffee in his free hand. She couldn't help but smile as she took in his appearance - from his brown tousled hair to his Converse sneakers, she loved his every quality.

Spencer looked up from his paper, hearing someone approaching him. It was Emily, of course, dressed in a silk lilac coloured nightgown, her raven hair loosely tousled from her sleep. He always felt so stunned in her presence - she always looked so beautiful. He put his newspaper and coffee down onto the table, welcoming her into his embrace as she joined him on the couch, wrapping her arms around his waist.

It was Friday morning - the team had finally returned home the previous night after a long case. It had lasted much longer than they had expected, and to say they were all fortunate to be home was an understatement. Reid and Prentiss were both looking forward to some much-needed alone time together. Emily curled up against his chest, feeling his hands gently stroking her back.

"I missed you last night," he whispered into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. She leaned back to give him a smile.

"I missed you, too," she told him, mock-pouting. "I had no one to cuddle with."

He grinned at her, yet his expression faltered to one that was filled with concern as he gently caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes. Although she appeared to be joking around, he could see that there was sadness in her expression. "How are you feeling today?" he asked her.

Emily paused for a moment, staring into space. How _did_ she feel? She let out a small sigh, thinking of a way to put it into words. "I just feel like there's something missing in my life... and of course, I have you," she said, gently grasping his hands in hers. "You know that I love you. But it's really not easy, putting a smile on my face every day... and you _do _make me happy, never question that... but the happiness goes away after a while... and to be honest, I... I just don't feel like myself anymore," she said faintly as two stray tears rolled down her cheeks, which she wiped away hastily, although her eyes were still welled up.

Reid studied her worriedly, trying to ingest what she had just told him, but it was only making him feel sick to his stomach. It was killing him to see her in such a state. It was still strange for him to see her so vulnerable. He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her securely. Emily accepted his embrace gratefully, her arms gripping his torso tightly as she started to cry silently. He started to stroke her back again - that always seemed to comfort her. He held her like this for a few minutes, until her breathing became steady again and her tears had subsided.

"Emily, I..." he started. He closed his eyes briefly and tried to swallow the lump rising in his throat. "You are so, so strong for pulling through this like you have been... but as much as I hate to say it... things won't go back to normal all at once. I know that you don't want to appear weak, but I just want you to know that... it's okay for you to show your emotions sometimes. If you feel sad, it's okay for you to be sad; because that's the only way you're going to make it through this. You can't just pretend to forget about your emotions, you have to deal with them. Please, don't ever worry about the way you must look to me, or anything like that... because I promise that I will always love you... no matter what," he finished quietly, the lump in his throat was even worse now. By then, both of them were on the verge of tears, holding each other close.

Emily could barely speak audibly, she felt like she would break into sobs at any moment. "Oh, Spencer, what would I do without you?" she asked rhetorically, looking up at him. He tried to smile at her, and surprisingly, they both laughed at each other through their tears.

"We're always so dramatic," she laughed again as she wiped her face.

He smiled at her, cupping one side of her face with his hand. "We're going to be just fine," he said quietly as he gently brushed his thumb against her cheek.

"I know," she smiled back at him, and they both leaned in for a kiss. "I love you so much," she whispered against his skin. Their lips met again, but this time it was more fervent, the intensity growing by the second. They leaned back further on the couch, Emily straddling Reid with her arms wrapped around his neck; his hands on her hips.

"Er, Emily, should we, uh…" Reid stammered, just barely catching his breath.

"What is it, honey?"

"Should we, uh, take this… somewhere else…" he swallowed nervously.

She couldn't help but smile. "If you want. Why are you so nervous?" she asked gently, slowly running her hand up and down his neck.

"I just, um, haven't really done this before…" he said, looking down.

"What do you mean?" she said, looking concerned.

Reid hesitated before he slowly looked up to meet her eyes. "Emily... my first time was with you."

Emily's mouth fell open in shock as she got off of his lap and sat on the couch, trying to process what she had just heard. "I-I don't understand..." she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Sweetheart, why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, looking embarrassed. "It never came up until now."

She looked at him, confused. "But, Spencer... You aren't the kind of person who would just... lose their virginity to a random coworker..."

"Well, for one, I was intoxicated... And..." he paused for a moment. "You weren't a just random coworker, Emily. When I'm with you I feel so much different... Nobody has ever made me feel that way before," he said quietly; a faraway expression on his face. "I secretly had a bit of a crush on you... I didn't think much of it though, I never thought anything would happen between us... but when the alcohol took away my inhibition, I suppose my feelings got the better of me."

Emily's heart pounded heavily in her chest as he spoke, despite how awful she felt about unknowingly taking his virginity. "Spencer, I feel like I took advantage of you, and I am so, so sorry..."

"Sweetheart, there's nothing to apologize for. I know that you didn't intend for it to happen; neither of us did. Honestly, I think we should both just try to forget about it. It's in the past now," he reasoned.

"You're right," she agreed. "We can start over. But... In a way, I'm kind of glad that everything happened the way it did, because, well… I think it did bring us together after all."

He smiled thoughtfully. "I agree. What happened was awful… but at least now we have each other," he said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently.

She smiled back. "Yes, thank god for that. But, Spencer… I just want you to know that, if you're not ready to have sex yet, I am completely okay with it. We can take it slow."

"It's not that I don't want to… it's just that, well, you make me nervous…"

"What? Why?" she asked him curiously.

"Well, you're just so… beautiful… and I feel like such a kid," he looked down sheepishly.

Emily felt like she died a little inside as he said this, moving over so that she was closer to him again and cupping the side of his face with her hand. "Oh, honey… That is very sweet of you. But you're not a kid to me, at all. I know that mostly everyone else treats you like you are, but you deserve so much more credit than that. Believe me, Spencer, you are the most wonderful man I have ever met – and I love you, so, so much."

"You really mean that?" he asked her with a hopeful smile on his face.

"Of course I do, sweetheart."

"Well… thank you."

"For what?" she smiled.

"For being you," he said, pulling her closer and kissing her passionately, the intensity growing by the second. Soon enough, they were back where they left off. As Emily wrapped her legs around his waist, Reid picked her up and carried her off to the bedroom.

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><p><em>About an hour later...<em>

"Wow," Emily gasped, just catching her breath, her head still reeling from the high. "I didn't know you had that in you," she joked with a big smile on her face. As her breathing slowed down a bit, she moved closer to him, resting her chin in the crook of his neck. He turned his head so he could look at her, admiring her beauty.

"Well? What's the verdict?" she smiled.

Reid studied her affectionately for a moment before answering. "Perfect," he smiled, leaning over her to kiss her again as she ran her fingers through his hair. She laughed as he planted a trail of kisses up her neck and then on her lips.

For a moment they just stared into each other's eyes. "I love you," Emily said quietly.

"I love you, too," he whispered back with a smile, gently brushing the hair out of her face. "What do you want to do today?"

She shrugged. "Not sure. Did you have something in mind?"

"Well... I know a nice French restaurant downtown. Maybe we could go there for brunch?" he suggested.

Emily swore that she could feel herself falling for him more and more with each second that passed by. She couldn't help but smile at him when she realized that this was going to be their first actual date.

"Sure, I'd love to," she told him.

"Great," he said, grinning back, happy to see a smile on her face again. He leaned in to place a gentle kiss on her lips. She felt a slight shiver of warmth as he did this.

"Well, I'm going to go take a shower..." Emily said, getting up and slipping on her silk robe. "Care to join me?" she asked him, a bit smugly.

"Uh..." he hesitated, his eyes travelling up and down her body. "Yeah." he answered after a moment. Emily grinned as he got up and followed her into the bathroom.

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><p>Early the next morning, Reid awoke to the sound of his cell phone ringing.<p>

"Hello?" he answered groggily.

"Reid, it's Hotch. I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but we have another case, and it's urgent."

He sat up a bit straighter at this information. "Another case... Already..." he knew he probably wasn't sounding like himself, but he was still pretty much half asleep, and didn't exactly have a solid grasp of what was going on just yet.

"It's local, just outside of D.C. I know that we were supposed to have days off but the police could really use our assistance on this case. Can you be here in an hour?"

"Yeah, sure."

"By the way, do you have any ideas as to where Prentiss might be? I tried calling her cell about ten minutes ago, and no one picked up."

Reid tried hard not to laugh. He had no idea where Emily's phone was, or if it was even on. "She probably just didn't hear it go off; she's a heavy sleeper. Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets the message," he told him. Technically, there wasn't anything untrue about his statement. The details that Hotch didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Alright, thanks. I'll see you here in an hour," he said, and disconnected the call. Reid sat back for a moment, processing the information. He wasn't exactly thrilled that they had another case, but at least this time it was local.

He turned his attention to the woman who lay sound asleep next to him. She looked so peaceful, he really didn't want to wake her up and tell her that they had another case. The last case had been bad enough for her, and she needed time to break from it. But they only had an hour...

"Emily," he whispered into her ear. "It's time to wake up, sweetheart..." he kissed her forehead, brushing her matted hair out of her face. She began to stir.

"...What time is it..." she groaned, rubbing her eyes, which were still closed.

Reid glanced at her bedside clock. "6:30."

"Then why the hell are you awake," she mumbled, burying her face into her pillow. "We were up until like... two last night."

"I know, I'm sorry, but I wouldn't have woken you if it wasn't important."

She sat up slowly and blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes. "What is it?"

"Hotch called me, we have another case. It's just outside of D.C., though."

"What? Already?" Emily frowned. She had really been looking forward to relaxing for a few days.

"I know," he said. "At least we'll be able to spend time together at home, though."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "I just wish our break wasn't cut short."

"Me, too," he frowned, taking her into his arms. "I really enjoyed yesterday, though."

She smirked. "So did I," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Yesterday was... absolutely... just amazing. I didn't realize how badly I had to get out of my apartment... so, thank you."

"I'm always happy to see you happy," he smiled, and kissed her softly. "I guess I'm gonna go find my clothes..."

Emily hopped into the shower while Reid got dressed and brushed his teeth. Sadly, it was time for him to leave.

"Ugh, why do you have to leave now," she pouted, attached to his waist, her hair all wet and tangled from her shower.

"I have to," he said reluctantly. "I'll bring you a coffee, okay?"

"Well, that might just make up for it," she joked.

He grinned. "Bye, sweetheart," he said as he kissed her one last time before the case started. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, feeling herself blush at her new nickname. "I'll see you at work."

About half an hour later, Emily arrived at the BAU. Reid was already there at his desk, waiting for her.

"Good morning," he said with a smug type of smile as she sat down at her desk.

"Long time, no see," she said, smirking.

"Ah, you're the best," she said as he placed her coffee on her desk. She picked it up, taking a big sip.

Just then, Garcia walked over. "Good morning, you two lovebirds!"

"Hey, Garcia," Emily greeted her with a smile.

"You seem awfully happy today," she remarked, looking back and forth between them suspiciously. Emily shot Reid somewhat of an exasperated look. This was just the beginning.

"What's going on over here?" Morgan asked as he walked over.

"Nothing, it's just, Garcia... being herself," Emily joked.

"I'm going to figure this out. I am," Garcia mused, crossing her arms and scrutinizing the pair.

"Figure what out?" Morgan asked, confused.

"That's _it_!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "You-"

"Garcia," Emily warned, glancing at all the people around the room to give her a hint.

"Oh, right, sorry," she said, lowering her voice. "You had _sex_!" she whispered hoarsely.

"You did what now?" Morgan raised his eyebrows at Reid. "My little genius is growing up," he joked, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

Reid and Prentiss exchanged a look; neither of them knew how to respond.

"I _knew_ something was different. I mean, you guys are practically glowing!" she gushed, grinning.

"I'd really prefer it if we didn't discuss our sex life in the middle of the bullpen," Emily mumbled, face-palming.

"Garcia, have you ever considered becoming a profiler?" Reid asked her, only half-joking.

She chuckled. "Nah, I'm perfectly content with just using my skills around you guys."

"Great," Emily muttered to herself.

* * *

><p><em>One week later...<em>

Reid and Morgan pulled up to an old, deserted warehouse.

"This has to be the place," Morgan said as he put the SUV into park. "Let's go have a look inside."

"Shouldn't we get backup first?"

"Reid, look around," he said, gesturing to the empty parking lot. "There's nobody here. If we find Kelly, she'll probably be able to tell us more about the un-sub."

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly, getting out of the car and taking out his gun. The two of them walked over to the door of the warehouse. It was locked.

"Stand back," Morgan instructed, and he kicked the door down. They entered the building, guns raised.

Inside it was cold, dark, and dank. There was a faint scent of mildew that became prominent every time a breeze came in through one of the cracked windows. Reid shivered. He didn't exactly have a good feeling about this place.

Meanwhile, out in the parking lot, a rusty, beaten up pick-up truck pulled into the parking lot. A white, athletically built man in his mid-thirties got out of the driver's side. He immediately noticed the shiny black SUV parked just out front, which hadn't been there when he had left, about half an hour ago. Who were these people and what were they doing there? Probably cops, looking for Kelly... but how did they find this place? He grabbed a baseball bat out of the back seat of his truck. Hopefully these people wouldn't make too much noise. They were in the middle of nowhere, anyway. No one would hear them.

"Did you hear that?" Reid suddenly said. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears.

"Hear what?"

"It sounded like a door creaking."

"It's just the wind," Morgan brushed him off.

A few seconds later, Reid stopped again.

"What is it now?" Morgan asked him, slightly exasperated.

"Footsteps... I heard footsteps. Listen."

They listened. Nothing.

"I don't hear anything. It's just your mind playing tricks on you. This place gives me the creeps, too," Morgan tried to reassure him.

This didn't make him feel any more comfortable. His mouth had gone dry, and he couldn't swallow. He could feel adrenaline pulsing through his veins. He just wished that they'd find Kelly, so they could get out of there. The next thing he knew, he heard someone rush up behind him, and a hard object hit his head forcefully. He felt his body sway, someone calling his name far away, and dizziness overcame him.


	12. A Day Off

**A/N: **Happy new year everyone! I know you're all probably getting tired of my apologies, so I'll just say one thing: life happens (as well as writer's block) and unfortunately it gets in the way of my quick updating. I am so very sorry for the long wait! Also, I've decided to start naming the chapters again, because I think it's more creative to do so, and I've thought of better names for them. I've also changed my pen name from "criminalmindslove" to "garciarules". I thought it was more versatile to do so because garciarules is also my Twitter username. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'd just like to say that if you have any concerns or constructive criticism, please do not hesitate to leave a review or PM me. Your feedback helps me improve my writing. Thank you for your support. Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>About twenty minutes later, the rest of the team arrived at the warehouse along with the police and a few ambulances. Morgan had found Kelly Monroe, the un-sub's latest victim, in a room on the upper level of the building. She had a few notable injuries, but she was alive nonetheless. The medics were tending to her. The un-sub, whom Morgan had managed to restrain on his own, was being taken away by the police.<p>

"So what exactly happened with the un-sub in there?" Hotch asked Morgan.

"There was no one here when we first got here, that's why we didn't call for backup. He must have gotten here after us. Reid was saying he heard footsteps, but I just thought he was hearing things, until this guy comes out of nowhere and knocks Reid out cold with a bat before I could stop him-"

"What? Reid's hurt?" Emily interrupted, her eyes wide, fear quickly escalating in the pit of her stomach.

"He's fine; he's just unconscious right now. It's probably just a concussion."

"Where is he?" she exclaimed, losing her ability to think straight. The world around her was reeling. She tried running towards the building, but the two men held her back. Morgan took her by the shoulders.

"Emily, stop, you can't see him right now! Let the medics do their job and just breathe for a second. Everything's going to be fine."

She let out a shaky breath. "I'm just worried," she said in a tiny voice, clearly trying to hold back tears.

"We're all worried. I'm sure he'll be fine. Just try to calm down, okay?"

Unable to hold it in anymore, frustrated tears fell from her eyes. Emily had no idea that she could feel so many emotions at once: fear, anger, worry, anxiety, impatience... Why didn't everyone else understand why she needed to see for herself that he was alive and breathing? She couldn't stand not knowing if he was going to be okay. If it was anything fatal... She couldn't even think about that. She couldn't even think straight at all; her thoughts were just one jumbled blur.

Hotch observed Emily with a calculating look. Morgan was right, they were all worried about Reid, but to him, it seemed like it was an overreaction on her part. Reid and Prentiss had always been pretty close friends, but he would never have expected such behaviour from Emily, who was the type of person who almost always kept composure. Aside from the mishap that happened between them about a month ago, the lines of their friendship had never seemed blurred... Hotch didn't particularly _want _to insert himself into their personal business, but the unit chief suspected that there was something peculiar going on with the two agents. Whatever it was, he hoped they would keep it under control.

Just then, the medics carried out Reid, who was still unconscious, on a stretcher. Emily saw him and was about to rush over, until she thought better of it. She felt defeated as more tears escaped her eyes.

"Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital," Morgan said as he walked over to her.

Once they were in the SUV, he noticed that she was biting her nails.

"Emily, I think you need to watch yourself more carefully. Hotch looks like he's getting suspicious."

"Derek, do you have any idea of what we've been through in the past month?"

He sighed as his expression hardened. "That's not what I meant."

"Reid helped me through one of the most horrific events of my life. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay him for that. If anything ever happened to him, I just... I just don't know what I'd do. Sorry if I panicked a little." Of course, there were other, deeper reasons why she had freaked out, but she wasn't about to tell Morgan something personal like that.

It was obvious that she was overreacting - however, Morgan understood the gravity of what she'd been through, and that like everyone else, she had a breaking point. Anyone would agree that the events of the evening were enough to push her past her limits. The only thing he could do was try to identify with her.

"I understand where you're coming from. I felt the same way when Garcia got shot. Just always be sure to think things through first, because you could end up hurting yourself, or someone else."

Emily sighed. "You're right. I wasn't thinking rationally, and I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

"You're stressed. You've been through a lot in a short period of time. Everyone has a breaking point... but you've handled yourself a lot better than most people would in your situation."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Morgan. That means a lot."

After about an hour of tense waiting in the hospital, Reid was discharged. He had a concussion, but it wasn't too severe. He was only instructed to get lots of rest and to avoid strenuous activities.

"That means no sex, you two," Morgan teased them as they wheeled Reid out of the hospital.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Emily rolled her eyes at him. She bent down to give Reid a kiss on the cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache, and I'm a bit dizzy... actually my whole body kind of aches... Morgan, I told you I heard footsteps!"

He looked a bit sheepish. "I'm sorry, kid. Really, I am."

"I'm never going anywhere with you. First we get stuck in an elevator, and now this."

"And how is that _my _fault?"

"I don't know, but I'm not taking any more chances."

"Oh, hush you two. It's too late for all of this bickering," Emily interrupted.

Not too long afterwards, Emily had driven them to Reid's apartment. She figured that he'd feel more comfortable in his own place. Thankfully, she always kept an emergency go bag in her car, so she was prepared to stay for a night or two.

"I am so glad that case is over," Reid commented as they settled in and started getting ready for bed.

"Me too," Emily agreed. She hadn't realized it until then, but the last few days had really taken a toll on her. She felt completely exhausted, her body aching for rest.

Reid sat on the edge of the bed, and Emily joined him. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. They shared a look that reflected their mutual exasperation with everything that had happened lately. The fact that they had nothing to worry about for a few days was hardly believable to them, considering the fact that every opportunity they'd gotten to relax had been interrupted by a case. Emily wrapped her arms around his neck, so relieved that he was okay. She still felt so raw and vulnerable - the experience had shaken her.

"I was so worried about you," she said quietly. "Hotch and Morgan probably think I've lost it."

He pulled back to give her a concerned look. "What happened?"

She looked sheepish. "They wouldn't let me see you, and I uh, kind of freaked out."

He frowned. "You shouldn't have worried so much; I'm perfectly fine."

She looked down. "Yeah, but... how could I have known that? You would've felt the same way if it had've been me, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," he told her, taking both of her hands in his. "But you have to be in control. That's one of the reasons why frat rules exist - they think it looks unprofessional."

Emily felt a bit deflated at this comment. "I know, I just started panicking... Something inside of me just snapped... I must have made it look obvious, Hotch must know by now," she said, frowning.

"Sweetheart, I'd be surprised if Hotch hasn't already figured it out by himself... and don't forget that he knows what we've been through. As long as we keep things on the down low from now on, I'm sure we'll be fine. But my point is, it's not your fault. You hit your breaking point - that's natural, there's no way you could've seen that coming. So stop being so hard on yourself, okay?" he said, cupping her face with one hand and stroking his thumb down her cheek. She nodded, and he took her into his arms, giving her a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Do you still have a headache? The doctor said you could have a Tylenol," she told him after a moment.

"Uh... yeah, I could probably use one of those," he said, rubbing his forehead groggily.

"Alright," she said with a tiny smile, and went into the kitchen to get a glass of water and then into the bathroom to get the Tylenol. She felt happy that she was going to be taking care of _him_ for once. "Here," she said, giving him the capsule.

"Thanks," he said, popping it into his mouth and swallowing it with water. She sat behind him, rubbing his shoulders and back.

"You ready for bed then?" she asked him.

"Definitely," he said, turning around to give her a soft kiss.

"I love you," he said quietly.

"I love you, too," Emily said with a tender look in her eyes. They both got under the covers and curled up close to each other, and she leaned over to turn off the bedside lamp.

"Good night, Spencer."

"Good night, sweetheart."

* * *

><p>Emily woke up the next day to a grey and chilly October morning. Despite the fact that it was raining outside, it was warm and cozy inside Reid's apartment. She found it appalling how one night of sleep could do so much - she now felt calm and relaxed, cuddled up next to Reid, who was still fast asleep. He always looked so content in his sleep, like he didn't have a single worry in the world. She leaned closer to him and planted gentle kisses up his neck, jaw line, and temple. He stirred, and with his eyes still closed, he shifted around so that he was facing her, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.<p>

She giggled as he imitated her, kissing her up her neck. "Good morning, handsome," she said, putting her arms around his neck. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel a bit sore... but other than that, I'm fine," he said with a small smile.

"No dizziness or anything?" she asked him.

"So far, no," he replied.

"That's good," she said with a smile. He returned her smile, and he rolled over on top of her, leaning in to kiss her. It was slow, but sensual, followed by a series of lighter, shorter kisses. Emily laughed as they leaned their foreheads against each other's. They just gazed at each other for a moment, and the shared look became tender.

"Spencer, I know that look..." she eyed him suspiciously.

"What?" he grinned, leaning back onto his elbow.

"That look. You want something."

"And what exactly do you think I want?" he flirted with her.

"Something that you can't have, for the next couple of days at least."

"Something that I can't have? But why not?" he asked innocently, slipping his hand under her nightgown and running it up the inside of her thigh.

She arched an eyebrow at him. "You just told me that you still feel a bit sore."

"It's nothing, I promise," he assured her. She didn't look too convinced.

"Come on Emily, I know you want to," he teased her, stroking her thigh.

"Honey, of course I want to," she said, taking his face in her hands. "I just don't want you to somehow make your concussion worse."

"Sweetheart, I promise you, I'm fine. Just try to relax, okay?" he smiled at her softly, and she smiled back at him. Slowly, he kissed her - each one was drawn out and intimate, not rushed. Emily sighed happily; he always made her feel so amazing.

"Are you relaxed now?" he joked.

"Yes, thank you," she said, and as she kissed him again, she realized that this was the first time she had felt truly relaxed in what seemed like a long time.

* * *

><p>"How was that?" Reid asked, just catching his breath.<p>

"Amazing," Emily smiled, closing her eyes for a moment. "Feeling better?"

"Much," he said, rolling over onto the bed next to her and planting a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, honey," she said, giving him a kiss in return. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Umm... pancakes."

"Pancakes?"

"Yup."

"Okay," she said with a smile. She got up and slipped on the shirt that Reid had slept in; it was a plaid button-down one. Emily felt his eyes on her, and she looked up tentatively. He was watching her with a slight smile on his face.

"What?" she asked sheepishly, feeling her face get hot.

He shook his head. "Nothing... The shirt looks better on you, though."

She laughed as she put her hair up in a ponytail and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth. "You're too much, Spencer, honestly."

About five minutes later, Reid joined Emily in the kitchen. She was mixing a bowl of what looked like pancake mix. He walked up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"You remember how to make them?" he asked her.

"Yeah, I think so. It doesn't seem that difficult... and there are also instructions on the back of this box," she said, picking it up and pointing it out to him.

He laughed. "Right... Sorry, I forgot about that."

"You forgot? I don't hear that very often," she teased him.

"Well I already know how to make them, so I don't use the box anymore. You'll have to forgive me."

"As long as you don't doubt me," she looked at him with a grin.

"Of course I don't doubt you," he said, smiling back. They just stared at each other for a moment until both of them leaned in for a kiss.

"Mmm," Emily murmured. "Now you're distracting me."

"Sorry," he grinned. "I'll help."

Together, they made the pancakes and ate them in Reid's living room. When they finished, they curled up on the couch and started watching a Harry Potter marathon that was on TV.

"Now did that satisfy your pancake craving?" she asked him.

"Yes, it did, thank you."

"Good," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine," he told her.

"You _swear_?" she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. I wouldn't lie to you," he said, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

She felt a wonderful shiver when he did this; one that felt familiar to her now. She smiled again. "Just making sure. Do you need anything?"

He studied her thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope. Just you," he smiled.

Emily couldn't help but grin as she felt herself blush. "I know I say this a lot, but you're too much. Seriously."

"No, I think you are," he playfully argued, giving her a series of quick kisses.

"No, it's definitely you," she laughed in between kisses. Everything just felt so effortless with them, as if they were two teenagers in love, without a care in the world. Emily loved that he was able to make her feel so relaxed. It was good to not have any worries for a while. Just then, her cell phone started ringing.

"I should get that," she said, looking over at her phone as Reid continued kissing her.

"No, you shouldn't," he jokingly protested.

"Sorry handsome, this will only take a second," she gave him a sympathetic look and one quick kiss on the lips. She grabbed her phone off the table. "Hello?"

"Wow, you answered! Maybe you guys _are _following the doctor's orders," said the all-too familiar voice of Penelope Garcia.

Emily grinned. "Hey, Garcia. What's up?"

"Well, JJ and Will are bringing Henry over for a visit tonight, and I was wondering, if you and your boy genius aren't too busy screwing around, would you two like to join us for dinner?"

She looked at Reid with a questioning smile; he was sitting right next to her, so she assumed that he could hear their conversation. He smiled back approvingly. "Sure, we'd love to," she replied. "What time do you want us to be there at?"

"Around 5:30-ish."

"Alright. Do you need us to bring anything?"

Garcia thought it over for a moment. "Hmm... No, I think I've got everything covered. Thank you for asking, honey."

"Okay, I'll see you soon then," she said, and hung up. Emily turned to give Reid a cheesy smile, taking his hands in hers. "Are you excited to see Henry?"

He smiled to himself and nodded before looking up. "Yeah, I am," his face fell a bit. "I feel like I should be visiting him more often, though."

"Don't feel bad about it, honey. You've been busy, it's been hectic... and besides, he was just born; you probably haven't missed much. I'm sure you'll find more time to visit him now that everything's settled down," she said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, that's true," he said thoughtfully. "Thanks."

"It's what I'm here for," she said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

He smiled at her. "When do we need to start getting ready?"

"Well, it's 11:30 now, so we can probably watch a couple more of these movies," she told him.

"Okay, sounds good to me," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek as they curled up next to each other again and continued watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

* * *

><p>At around 5:30, Emily pulled into the parking lot of Garcia's building. She parked and they got out.<p>

"Ready?" she asked Reid.

"Yup," he said, sliding his arm around her waist. "You look beautiful."

Emily smiled and blushed. She wasn't even wearing anything special, but she loved that he was so sweet to her. "And you look very handsome," she said, reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek. She lingered there for a moment, and they became lost in each other's gaze. Reid pulled her closer to him and kissed her, slowly but softly. She felt her face become hot as they broke away.

"Oh, you have lipstick on your face," she grinned, taking a tissue out of her coat pocket and wiping it off. "There. Okay, we should probably go up before they start to wonder where we are."

The two of them walked to the front of the building and Garcia buzzed them in. They walked up to her apartment and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Penelope answered the door.

"Hello, my lovelies! Come in, come in," she said, opening the door wider to let them in and shutting it behind them. She smiled at them happily. "Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for inviting us," Emily returned her smile.

"Of course, of course. I thought Reid would like to see his godson. Oh, by the way, how's your head?"

"I'm fine, really," he grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Garcia said as she took their coats. The two of them followed Garcia into the living room, where Will was sitting with JJ on the couch, who was holding baby Henry.

"Emily, Spence! It's so great to see you," JJ said, getting up to give them hugs. Will followed, and greeted them as well. She stepped back to let them all admire Henry, just as Morgan walked in from the kitchen.

"Hey, Emily! Hey Pretty Boy, how's your head?" he joked as he walked over to them, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong with your head?" JJ asked him.

"It's nothing that bad," he shrugged it off.

"Him and Morgan had a run-in with our latest un-sub yesterday," Emily explained.

"Oh?" JJ arched her eyebrow worriedly.

"We were in a creepy old warehouse. No one was there at first, but the un-sub got there after us. We didn't hear him come in, and he knocked Reid out with a bat," Morgan told her.

"Oh, gosh! Thank god you're okay," she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just have a small concussion," he assured her.

"You guys caught the un-sub though?"

"Yeah, I took care of him. He was one feisty son of a bitch though, he put up one hell of a fight," Morgan shook his head.

"Shh! No swearing around the baby," Garcia scolded him.

"Sorry," he put his hands up in defense. "He looks pretty asleep to me."

"How old is he now, Jayj?" Emily asked her.

JJ smiled down at him before looking back up and answering. "He'll be nine weeks old next week," she said.

"He grows so quickly," Will added.

"JJ, do you mind if I...?" Reid gestured to Henry.

She smiled widely. "Of course, Spence, go ahead," she said, carefully placing the small baby in his arms.

"Hey, Henry," Reid smiled at his godson. Emily couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them together. She walked over to Reid's side and looked at the baby with him. Henry stirred a bit and slowly opened his eyes. He seemed to be fixated on Reid.

"He's awake," Reid announced, still smiling fondly at him.

"He seems to like looking at you," Emily laughed. Henry was looking Reid over with wide eyes. JJ and Garcia watched the couple with bright smiles on their faces, exchanging knowing looks.

After about half an hour of everyone fussing over Henry, JJ looked at her watch and grabbed her diaper bag. "Sorry everyone, it's time for Will and I to feed Henry and put him down for the night," she said, taking him from Garcia. "We'll be back out soon."

About twenty minutes later, when JJ and Will returned, the six of them sat down for dinner.

"Wow, Garcia, this looks great," Emily commented as they all helped themselves to roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.

"Thanks," she said with a smile. "Morgan helped."

"Oh, did he?" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, yes I did."

"He's quite proud of himself," Garcia laughed.

"So," JJ started. "How long have you guys been together?" she asked Reid and Emily casually from across the table. They both glanced up at her for a second before catching each other's eye.

"I don't know, are we really official?" he asked jokingly, first looking at Emily, then at the rest of the table.

"I think you're pretty official," Garcia said, giving Emily a knowing look.

"Thirty-eight days," Reid commented.

"Just over a month, then," Emily said to JJ.

"Only a month? It seems like it's been longer than that," Garcia added.

"Feels like it's been long enough to me," Emily smiled at Reid and he smiled back.

"Aww, you two," she gushed. They both picked at their plates sheepishly.

JJ smiled warmly at them. "That's great. So you guys have been okay?"

"Yeah, we've been good," Emily smiled back at her, assuming that Garcia had told JJ about the miscarriage. "How have you and Will been with Henry?"

JJ and Will looked at each other, and they both smiled. "Well, of course Henry has a much different schedule than what we're used to... but it's been great. Definitely not easy, but definitely worth it," she beamed.

"That's great, Jayj; I'm glad to hear it," Emily said, her and Reid both smiling warmly at the couple across from them.

* * *

><p>Hours later, the couple arrived at Reid's apartment after enjoying a nice night at Garcia's.<p>

"Did you have a good time tonight?" Emily asked him as they changed into their pajamas.

"Yeah, I had a great time," he said with a smile. "It was great to see Henry."

She smiled back at him. "It was nice to see you with him."

He nodded. "He's made me reconsider a lot of things about my life."

"Like about having baby geniuses of your own someday?"

He grinned, remembering the time that Emily had asked him that. "Yeah. I was so unsure about it when you asked me, I had barely ever given any thought to it... but he makes me feel sure."

She smiled at him sadly. "I'm glad to hear that, honey."

Reid walked closer to her, closing the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he did the same to her. He could tell that this conversation was making her upset. "It will happen one day, sweetheart. I know it will," he whispered to her as a tear slid down her cheek. He wiped it away gently with his thumb and kissed where it had fallen. "I love you so much. You know that, right?" he said, leaning in to kiss her deeply.

She nodded, and as she said the words, she felt the truth in them. "I love you, Spencer."


	13. A Christmas Surprise

**A/N: **It's been far too long, my friends! I hope you've all had a great start to the New Year. Once again I'm very sorry for the long wait. January went by in a quick blur, what with piles of homework, summatives, and exams. I would've posted this chapter days ago, but I've also edited all of the other chapters. There aren't really any notable changes, other than that I've slightly altered the time setting – this story takes place after the events in "Memoriam", and although that episode aired in November 2008, this series begins in August 2008. This change was much more convenient in regards to the plot. Anyway, thank you all so much for following, favoriting, and reviewing! It means a lot. Enjoy! :)

* * *

><p>Two months had passed by – it was now December. Emily and Spencer had been together for just over three months, and things had finally gone back to normal for them – well, as normal as things could possibly be. At this point, the team all knew of their relationship, but they still kept the details of their personal business pretty discreet. They spent most of their free time together, moving back and forth between each other's apartments. They both wanted to get an apartment together eventually, but they wanted to take things slow, and they felt that it was too early in their relationship to be making a big change.<p>

It was Christmas Eve, and the couple had just returned from the team's Christmas party at Rossi's house. They had decided to spend the holidays at Emily's apartment.

"Spencer, can you help me undo my dress please?" Emily asked him as they were getting ready for bed.

"Of course," he winked. She grinned, rolling her eyes.

"You looked extremely sexy tonight," he told her as he walked up behind her, placing a hand on her waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled, feeling herself blush. "Are you saying that I don't _always _look sexy?" she asked him playfully.

"No, not at all. Quite the opposite, actually… I was just afraid that I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you…" he said as he slowly unzipped the back of her dress, gently running his fingers over her exposed skin. She felt shivers as he did this.

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about that much longer," she said, slipping off her dress and letting it fall to the floor. She turned around to face him, and slowly started unbuttoning his shirt. She had a certain kind of alluring expression in her eyes – one that was now very familiar to Reid. As his gaze travelled downwards, he found himself momentarily stumped for words. That didn't happen very often for him – but when it did, it was usually while he was in Emily's presence.

He blinked and swallowed. "Wow, Emily, I, uh… is that new?" he mumbled, dumbfounded.

She grinned, her eyes lit up mischievously. "I think you would know."

"Right," he smiled, and swallowed again nervously. Even though they'd had sex many times already, it always felt like it was his first time all over again.

She smiled again. "Relax, honey. It's just me," she said, gently slipping his shirt off of his shoulders. She put her arms around his neck as he slid his around her waist.

"I know, it's just that… you always make me nervous," he grinned sheepishly.

She laughed. "Don't be. I love you," she said quietly, brushing her hand against his cheek, her gaze flickering to his lips. She reached up to kiss him, and he complied. It quickly grew in intensity, and still kissing, Reid lifted her up and carried her over to their bed.

A little while later, the two of them lay in bed together, just talking.

"Well, that was best Christmas Eve I've had in a long time," Emily said, curling up close to him, her arms wrapped around his torso.

"Me too," he agreed, gently smoothing her hair away from her face. He bent down to kiss her softly. She smiled up at him, feeling her cheeks flush.

"I'll be right back," he said, grabbing his robe and going into the bathroom.

Reid was suddenly shocked at what he found: the condom was broken. Now he was faced with a dilemma. He knew that he had to tell Emily – but he was almost certain that she would become stressed out, and he didn't want that for her, especially not at Christmas…

The other option was not to tell her. He knew had to tell her – it was only fair – but he _really _didn't want to ruin Christmas for her. On the other hand, there were a lot of things that could go wrong if she didn't know. If she really was pregnant, she had to take care of herself properly.

That was the other big question at hand – could she actually be pregnant? He had convinced her to go off of birth control, simply because of its known health effects. He recalled that she had last been on her period about fourteen days ago and that her cycle was about twenty-eight days – he only knew this by the various complaints that she had around the same time every month – and since ovulation usually occurs about midway through the menstrual cycle, he would say that she very well could be pregnant.

He sighed, running a hand over his face. They had decided that they were going to try for a baby eventually, but not this soon into their relationship. Of course, he would be happy if she was pregnant – but what were the odds that they would accidentally conceive _twice_? Even he could not come up with that statistic.

After much more silent debate, he decided to tell her in a few days, after Christmas. He would just tell her on the following day, but he thought that it might cause too much stress, and he just wanted them to have a relaxing day without anything to worry about.

He came out of the bathroom, attempting to look like nothing had happened. He really did not want to lie to her, even though it was temporary, and for her own benefit. He climbed into bed next to her, returning to their original positions.

"Everything okay?" she asked him with a small smile.

He nodded, feeling awful. He returned her smile. "I love you, Emily."

She studied him, reaching out to brush his cheek with her hand. "I love you, too," she whispered, and she reached up to give him a kiss. They said their goodnights, and while Emily fell asleep fairly quickly, Reid struggled to get to sleep for a while – he still felt guilty. Deep down, he knew that he had made the right decision – but that thought didn't make it any easier to lie to her.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Reid told himself to try to forget about the whole ordeal for at least that day. Well, he knew that he'd still be worried about Emily taking care of herself… but he'd try to stop it from affecting his mood. It was Christmas, after all.<p>

He pulled out of his reverie and turned his attention to Emily, who still looked pretty asleep. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a few kisses up her neck. She started to regain consciousness, and in a few moments her eyes fluttered open. She smiled at him and put her arms around his neck.

"Good morning," he smiled at her.

"Merry Christmas," she grinned back.

"Merry Christmas, sweetheart," he said, gently pulling her closer to give her a kiss. As he looked at her, he still could not help but feel worried – as he had suspected. He once again tried to push it from his mind, so that they would be able to enjoy Christmas together.

Emily studied him for a moment. "You okay?" she asked him. He seemed a bit disconnected.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, snapping out of it and attempting to give her a reassuring smile.

She still looked a bit skeptical. "If you're sure," she said, and started to get out of bed. "I'm going to go start the coffee."

As she walked towards the kitchen, Reid bolted upright. Here was the first problem of the day: she shouldn't be having caffeine… just in case. He got up and followed her quickly, trying to think of a decent excuse.

"Uh, Emily… can we, uh… maybe not have coffee today?" he felt ridiculous asking such a question.

She gave him a confused look. "Why not?"

"Um, I just uh, don't really feel like it today," he said with a shrug. He didn't even believe himself. How was he supposed to get Emily to believe him?

Emily leaned against the counter and tilted her head, looking at him with more doubt than ever. This was _really _strange of him. "You drink coffee like it's water. Are you feeling okay?" she reached out to touch his forehead.

"Emily, I already told you I'm fine—"

"Spencer," she cut him off in her no-more-nonsense tone. She took a step towards him, a pointed look in her eyes. "I know we haven't been together for very long, but I've known you long enough that I can tell when something's up with you."

Reid just stared at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. This was not going as planned. He should've figured that this would happen, though, what would them being as close as they were – not to mention that Emily was a profiler.

"Babe," she said, reaching out and tilting his chin up so that he was looking at her. He looked into her deep brown eyes and saw that she really was concerned. "Something's clearly bothering you. You know you can always tell me anything, right?" she placed her hand on top of his, which he was using to lean against the counter.

Reid ran his other hand down his face. "The only problem is that I can't tell you what it is," he mumbled.

She was even more confused now. "What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I was going to tell you tomorrow, I just… I didn't want to ruin Christmas for you, because you'll probably just get stressed out over it…and I don't want you to be stressed…" he trailed off, rubbing his face with his hand again.

"Well, sweetheart, I don't want you to be stressed out either," she said, taking his hand away from his face and gently running her thumb over the back of his hand. "Why don't you just tell me, and whatever happens will happen. We can sort it out. Then at least you won't have this burden to deal with."

He thought for a moment. "Okay. But you might want to sit down first."

They went back into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Emily took his hand in hers.

"Alright, go ahead," she gently urged him.

Reid swallowed, feeling a bit unsettled. "Last night… after we… had sex, I… I noticed that… that the condom had broken," he stammered, staring blankly at the floor.

Emily's gaze wandered off into space, slowly letting his words sink in. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified. "So… do you think… do you think that I could be… pregnant?"

"It's possible, yes," he said, looking at her with worry in his eyes. She could tell that he was mainly just nervous about her reaction.

"No statistics or anything?" she joked.

"Well there's not really any way of knowing for sure – not this early, at least. If you are pregnant, you might experience some of the early symptoms, but the most definite proof lies with a pregnancy test. You might already know this – but pregnancy tests detect a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, which is produced right after a fertilized egg attaches to wall of a woman's uterus. Home tests can get you the results right away, but if you take it too early it may give you a false negative. Blood tests done by a doctor are more accurate and can be done sooner – about six to eight days after ovulation, but it takes longer to get the results. A qualitative hCG test just checks to see if hCG is present, while a quantitative hCG can detect the exact levels of hCG in your blood – it can even detect very low levels," Reid rambled off.

Emily stared at him, bewildered. "Where did you get all of this information from?!"

"When I found out that you were pregnant last time, I uh… read up on the subject," he said a bit sheepishly.

She gave him a small smile, then hesitated at a sudden thought. "You know… if you think it would be best… I could take a morning-after pill," she said quietly.

Reid frowned. "I don't think that would be a good idea. If you are already pregnant, it could cause health effects with the baby… and it's never really good to mess with your hormones, anyway… but… this _is _what you want, isn't it? A baby?" he asked her tentatively, squeezing her hand gently.

"Well… is it what _you_ want? Because it doesn't matter if that's what I want if you don't—"

"Emily, stop," he interrupted. "I know that it'swhat you want, but you're too afraid that if I didn't want the baby then I'd leave you. Well, I know that we were going to wait to have a baby, but… if this is happening now… sweetheart, there's nothing I'd want more than to start a family with you."

"You mean it?" she said hopefully.

"Of course," he said, smiling. "I love you more than anything in the world, Emily."

She smiled back, realizing that she had suddenly become emotional. "I love you, too, Spencer," she said, placing her hand on the back of his neck and gently guiding his lips to hers. After a moment, they broke away and just leaned their foreheads against each other's.

"So… I guess I'm not having that coffee then," Emily said.

He laughed. "No, I'm afraid not. But just to be fair, I won't have any either."

"Wow, you must really love me, if you're willing to give up your precious coffee," she grinned at him.

He laughed again. "Hey, you know I do."

"I know," she said smugly, giving him a quick kiss on the lips and getting up from the bed, taking his hand. "Come on, I'm hungry."

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled as she dragged him off to the kitchen. Instead of coffee, they made hot chocolate. After they ate breakfast, they finally sat down and opened their presents from each other.

"Okay, there's one more thing…" Reid said, passing her an envelope after they had supposedly finished.

She gave him a chiding look. "I thought we agreed to get each other the same amount of presents."

He smiled. "Yes, but this one is more for both of us."

She raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.

"Come on, open it," he urged her.

"_Fine_," she sighed with mock exasperation, and opened the envelope. Reid watched her expression closely.

Emily grinned widely at what she found inside: a voucher for two plane tickets. "We're going to Vegas?!" she exclaimed.

"I know that we were there a few months ago, but… I've decided that maybe I should start visiting my mother more often… and of course, it would be nice to get away from it all for a little while, and just have some time for ourselves," he smiled. "I was thinking we could go in June."

She smiled back at him. "That's a great idea, honey. I agree, it'll be great to go on a vacation with just us," she said, leaning in to kiss him. "Thank you for everything."

"And thank you," he said, putting his arm around her waist. "I especially liked the socks you got me, they're very colourful. Good for mixing and matching."

She laughed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I thought you might like those… So what do you want to do now?"

"We could go out somewhere if you want," he suggested.

She considered this for a moment. "Well… since this is our first Christmas together… maybe we should just have the rest of the day to ourselves," she looked up at him thoughtfully.

"'Our first Christmas together'. I like the sound of that."

She grinned. "And why's that?"

"Because that means we will spend more Christmases together in the future," he said, smiling down at her affectionately.

"Well of course. There will be many more," she said, reaching up to give him a kiss.

So the two of them spent the rest of the day curled up inside, watching Christmas specials. Although it didn't seem like much, for them, it was truly special. Both of them had spent many years alone, and while it hadn't seemed to bother them before, they were thankful that they had finally found each other.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Yay! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As a side note, just in case anyone had questions about the information relayed here, I got my research from the websites webmd (about the pregnancy tests) and an article from bodyecology (about the birth control). Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a review!


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